This fall, Gabrielle Hill will begin studying at Emory University in Atlanta, where she plans to major in neuroscience. Her interest in the scientific study of the structure and function of the human brain and nervous center began in a classroom at The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland.
“I wasn’t really interested in it until AP psychology,” said Hill, a member of the class of 2025 at Holy Cross. She added, “I always thought I’d do something in healthcare,” since she had an interest in helping people. But in the psychology class, Hill said, “I learned something new every day… I could see myself exploring this in the future.”
Hill served as the president of her class during her freshman and sophomore years at the academy, and she said a public speaking class there helped her in that role.
Asked about lessons she learned about leadership from that experience, Hill said, “You’re not going to make everyone happy, but at the end of the day, it’s about doing what’s best for the community.”
The Holy Cross senior is the daughter of David and Lynn Hill, and she has an older brother. The family attends Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, Maryland, where Gabrielle Hill said her favorite community service activity was helping with distributing food on Saturday mornings to people in need. Reflecting on the community members she met, Hill said, “I learned it’s possible to spread joy even if you don’t speak the same language. I see their smile and return their smile. It’s a really powerful moment.”
In addition to AP psychology, another of Hill’s favorite classes at Holy Cross was a dual credit course with Marymount University in Arlington, “The Movie or the Book?,” which compared film adaptations including “The Color Purple” with the literary works that inspired them.
During her years at the Academy of the Holy Cross, Hill played on the Tartans’ top-ranked volleyball team, which lost the title game to rival Bishop O’Connell High School from Arlington this past fall after an undefeated regular season. Holy Cross won the volleyball championship in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference in 2023.
Hill praised the volleyball team’s camaraderie, noting how the players on the court were supported by teammates’ cheering on the bench. “It just felt like everyone was there for each other,” she said.
Competing in sports and balancing that with schoolwork and other activities reinforced the importance of time management, she said, noting how sports also helps teammates learn how to communicate with different types of people.
This spring, Hill was in the cast of the musical “Mean Girls” at Holy Cross and served as the dance captain, choreographing dance numbers. She said that experience was fun, “just having a stage where I could get up and do something I loved.”
As her graduation neared, Hill reflected on her experience attending The Academy of the Holy Cross.
“For me, this has been a place where I felt totally comfortable to step out of my comfort zone and do things I hadn’t previously done in my school. I think that’s really important as we go on to college and life beyond that,” she said. “I know I’ll have the confidence to pursue anything I want to pursue, and I’ve gained the tools of self-advocacy. If I ever run into an issue, I’ll be able to attempt to resolve it.”
