Meet the Prefects: Isabella “Bella” Sanchez (’23)

The article below is part of a series introducing students and their families to the prefects for the 2021 Great Books High School Summer Program. To read the series in full as it published, visit the Summer Program Blog.

Isabella Sanchez (’23), or more commonly, Bella, is a rising junior from La Mesa, California. She was a summer prefect at the California campus last year, of which she says, “It was a blast.”

One for social nights, Bella says that her fondest Summer Program memories are of coffee-shop soirees under the lights strung about on the patio, deep conversations with her friends in the girls’ residence hall, and appreciating God’s creation through stargazing (coincidentally, also a classroom activity for Sophomore Natural Science). She also recalls having loads of fun with spontaneous water fights and the intense Prefects vs. Students soccer game.

Drawing on her previous experience with the Summer Program, Bella encourages attendees to be confident in who they are. “God made us all different and, because of this, everyone has something uniquely magnificent to share,” she says. “When you are confident in yourself and not competing or comparing yourself to those around you, it is so much easier to love one another.”

Bearing that in mind, Bella looks forward to making more friends and meeting a variety of people who are each special in their own right. The program may be a time to learn about what Thomas Aquinas College has to offer, but it also aims to let people grow in friendship and virtue through conversation, games, and a good time overall. Alongside its other offerings, the program hosts an open-mic night for attendees to share their talents with each other and grow in friendship as they do so. As a ukulele player, Bella is eager to play for everyone and host jam sessions outside of class.

Be sure to keep an eye out for her this summer and bring as many good jokes as you can to the program —  she loves them!