Life of a Fellow: Kalin Mattern
If there’s one constant we can all rely on, it’s change.
And for many of us, one of the greatest periods of change was high school. From freshman year to crossing the stage at graduation, there’s so much growth and reflection.
Meet Kalin
Kalin Mattern is a Fellow at Penn Treaty High School. Kalin earned her degree from Reed College, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Music. In her free time, Kalin enjoys ceramics, visiting the art museum, and biking or rollerblading along the Schuylkill River. She also enjoys exploring Philly’s different neighborhoods and restaurants— especially Indian and Thai places!
Change
This feels a bit sappy to say, but I have been thinking a lot about change lately. Having graduated college, moved to a new city, and started my awesome new job (😉) all within the past year, change has emerged as a significant figure in my life. Through this change, I’ve also experienced a great deal of growth, both personally and professionally. Already, I am a more confident advocate for myself and others, and I am more competent in navigating my place in the professional world. I have realized my strengths in relationship building with students, staff, and administrators, setting important groundwork for collaboration and community in the PLUS Center. I’ve also learned how to juggle!
Beyond the changes in my personal life, working with high school students, especially seniors, change is happening every day and waits around every corner. Starting as a Fellow, your first interaction with your cohort of seniors comes near the conclusion of their time in high school, and a lot can change in four years! By the time you arrive on your first day and begin learning your students’ names and interests, they have gone through so many different experiences throughout their secondary education, most of which have likely had great impacts on their personalities, identities, and aspirations.
For this reason, in all of my interactions with students, I have found myself gravitating towards asking them about their whole high school experience. It feels intuitive to me to want to understand their entire educational journey, about how they have faced and dealt with life changes. To help a student achieve their future goals, I want to first understand and celebrate how they got to where they are today!
At this point, asking my students about the ways they’ve changed in high school feels like a key part of my advising process. Through these conversations, I can learn a lot about how they handle responsibility, grow as individuals, and develop their vision of their future. To give you a glimpse into my students’ growth throughout high school, I sat down with them as they shared their transformation throughout their high school experience, and what that means for their lives after graduation.
The Penn Treaty Class of 2026 Seniors on change in high school:
Meet Shakour:
How would you describe yourself as a freshman in one word?
“Being me.”
What did change mean to you as a freshman?
“I thought that high school was going to look like me getting stuffed inside of a locker. You know, you see that in movies and think this is what it’s gonna look like, this is how it’s gonna be. But, when I first started at Penn Treaty, they welcomed me with open arms. I was bad all the way up until my tenth grade, ripping up pieces of paper, stuff that made me look immature. But as time went on I feel like I have grown. Going to class on-time and coming in right early.”
What does change look like for you now?
“After high school, I feel like it might be different. I’m going to college with a scholarship for fashion design. I feel like that’s gonna keep me focused, really, because if you have the talent then all you gotta do is worry about your schedule, staying on time. I mean, I got accepted into what I want to do for a living, so I'm already focused on what I’m doing. I don’t know, I feel like my life’s gonna be different after high school, I can just picture it: me living in a dorm, me changing my ways. Staying focused.”
How would you describe yourself now, as a senior, in one word?
“Confident.”
What advice would you give to someone about navigating change in high school?
“Don’t play around when you become a senior, because they do have senior contracts, and those are no joke.”
Meet Malaya:
How would you describe yourself as a freshman in one word?
“Curious.”
What did change mean to you as a freshman?
“I thought I was gonna be in High School Musical! But, it was completely different and as a freshman I finally became a teenager, learning myself so I was trying to figure out which routes I wanna take and what I had a passion for so young. It was kinda hard but going to high school did help me find myself a little bit as a person, who I wanna be or who I thought I wanted to be. I was truly finding myself and exploring.”
What does change look like for you now?
“I feel like now that I’m in 12th grade it’s a different experience. I didn’t realize how much growing up you’d have to do. You gotta learn more responsibilities, you’ve gotta put your own feet out there on your own a little bit. It was kinda hard because I was a little self-centered but now I’m a senior and I wanna explore different opportunities. I was very curious about a lot of stuff. Not just in school, but outside also. I wanted to know a lot of different things, like I wanted to dip my hands in multiple different things. I’m more open now, so it’s kinda different. Now, I’m ready to take on the next trip, adventure, opportunity, I’m trying to go for it!”
How would you describe yourself now, as a senior, in one word?
“Adventurous.”
What advice would you give to someone about navigating change in high school?
“Don’t procrastinate, and be on time. Don’t procrastinate with your work, don’t procrastinate with your ideas. If you want it, go for it. Don’t ever let nobody tell you that you are not worthy enough, just get it done, do what you wanna do.”
Meet Zikirah:
How would you describe yourself as a freshman in one word?
“Happy.”
What did change mean to you as a freshman?
“I thought it was gonna be like peaches and cream, real easy, and just, yeah fun. My freshman year was fun, but I feel like as you get older, they start to get a little bit more strict with you. I had to adjust to different work and different classes. I enjoyed it though, because it was something new for me.”
What does change look like for you now?
“I feel like being a senior is more stressful, more work, more dedication and focus, so I’ve changed a lot with that. Because it’s your last year, you just basically are racking up everything you did all the other years. But the stuff I learned from grade to grade helped me develop more as a senior, and now I know that it’s my future in my hands. There’s time to play and there’s time to be serious.”
How would you describe yourself now, as a senior, in one word?
“Overstimulated.”
What advice would you give to someone about navigating change in high school?
“Be yourself, that’s definitely gonna get you far in life. Everybody has got their own personality, their own perspective and all of that. Take high school seriously. Kinda be a little strict when it comes to your work.”
Meet Kaleb:
How would you describe yourself as a freshman in one word?
“Funny.”
What did change mean to you as a freshman?
“Freshman me probably thought I was gonna take over the school and like, be chaos. Back then I was so reckless, they used to let us bring footballs in, so we would be down the hall playing football during lunch, but I started to learn. Gym class was really fun, but other classes, I didn’t start taking it seriously until my grades started dropping, so I was like I gotta step it up. 12 Plus has definitely helped me out with that, they care about me and started helping me with work. I really see them as family.”
What does change look like for you now?
“Everything is completely the opposite to when I was a freshman. Now I know how to deal with a lot of pressure when it comes to high school, so I feel really confident. I’m gonna have to do something next, so I’ve really started trying harder. Third quarter I’ve really been putting the work in, and I’m still putting the work in right now. I think it’s really gonna work out for me after graduation. I’m gonna go to trade school, even though freshman-me didn’t wanna go to college or do any school after graduating from high school. Once you’re out you can do whatever you want, and now senior me is like I wanna go to trade school and grow my education, change as a person.”
How would you describe yourself now, as a senior, in one word?
“Still funny.”
What advice would you give to someone about navigating change in high school?
“I would say shoot for your dreams and never give up, no matter how hard school is, just keep on going. You’re gonna make it one day.”
Meet TJ:
How would you describe yourself as a freshman in one word?
“Self-centered.”
What did change mean to you as a freshman?
“Honestly, I didn’t know what I was gonna do in high school. Before starting, I would have said I wanted to stay in middle school forever. I was far behind because in 8th grade when I was supposed to look into high schools, I wasn't so big on it, so I just came into a random school. I thought I was gonna be really reckless because of the environment, but it ended up being more organized than my middle school was, and was a better experience because of that.”
What does change mean to you now?
“Being a senior has been a game changer. I just feel really dedicated to school and getting my work done, and keeping my focus on school. That’s really all there is, was just keeping my focus on school. My plans have definitely changed a lot. I thought I was gonna do some type of sport like football or track, and now I just see myself going back to school to get more education, to work more. I am looking into trade schools right now with 12 Plus. They really help guide me into figuring out what I’m doing next.”
How would you describe yourself now, as a senior, in one word?
“Hardworking.”
What advice would you give to someone about navigating change in high school?
“No matter how useless school might seem at times, it is very necessary and very needed. You need to go to school.”
Whether change is expected or unexpected, positive or negative, it is a part of life that my students, myself, and I’m sure many others, are still learning to navigate. It can be hard to adjust to new ways of thinking, interacting, and going about everyday life. For many of my students, this came up a lot as they learned to face the realities of responsibility and accountability surrounding their academic success. On the flip side, experiencing those difficult changes ultimately lead many of them to discover more about themselves, gain confidence and maturity, and feel excited for new challenges.
Just like I have experienced in the past year, my students have grown so much as people since their freshman year, preparing them to take on their futures with their heads held high. They have faced change before, and will continue to for the rest of their lives. Getting to be a part of their journeys with change has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my fellowship so far. Community and mentorship have been integral to the ways I have personally engaged with change, so I am proud and grateful that I get to be there for my students as they prepare the unknowns of their own futures.