Marietta's Ivy Dreams
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T he glassy surface of the Norwalk River is broken by the smooth even stroke of an oar that slices through the calm waters. Strong arms strain against the growing tide to propel the boat into the lead. Marietta Coburn is one of the rowers pushing, pulling and struggling to keep the winning edge. Marietta’s skill in the boat is a beautiful force to be reckoned with in the world of Connecticut crew.
“Throughout all of those years Marietta has been determined, coachable, positive, an extremely hard worker, a talented athlete who has worked hard and made the most of her gifts, and will sorely be missed next year!!!,” longtime rowing coach Ms Liz Trond said.
Marietta is described by Coach Trond as someone who “leads by example in everything she does.” Marietta was a member of the Maritime Rowing Club Varsity for three years, a silver medalist at the 2007 US Rowing National Championships and is a member of the Varsity 4+ that qualified for the 2008 National Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio next week.
Marietta was invited to train with the United States Rowing Development Team the past two years, winning numerous medals on the club level, and was chosen as one of 10 athletes to train and race in Berlin with the German Junior National Team last summer. With all this rowing success, Marietta was a top rowing recruit in Division I athletics. She could have had her pick of many top DI rowing schools: Marietta chose Harvard University.
“I have always wanted to go to Harvard. I think a lot of it has to do with my mom having gone there because she always tells me stories about Harvard growing up and what a good time she had, because of her I learned not to be so intimidated by it because she had a great experience and made a lot of awesome friends who she is still close with today.” Marietta said.
Marietta’s Top 5 Countries
- Greece
- Italy
- Australia/New Zealand
- Thailand
- Brazil
Coaches are not the only ones who miss Marietta. The days at Middlesex Middle School have long since departed for Marietta Coburn. Yet, the legacy she left behind is not forgotten by those who taught the then academically gifted middle school student.
“Marietta was (and I'm sure still is) a student who always took on every task as a challenge and put in 100 per cent. She would go beyond what was expected to bring her writing to the next level, which is why she is such an incredible writer. I would not be surprised to see her on The New York Times best-seller list!” her 6th grade teacher Ms Patricia Mears said.
“First and foremost I remember Marietta's smile,” her 8th grade teacher Ms Ann Marie Torre said. “Marietta was a wonderful 8th grade English student, challenging herself and her peers to think critically about the literature they studied and the writing pieces they wrote," Ms Torre said.
Many in the DHS English Department will also have fond memories of Ms Coburn. “Even in 10th grade Marietta already a razor sharp mind and got right to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush,” her sophomore English teacher Mr Matt Pavia said.
Yes, Marietta is sure to leave behind the same esteemed academic legacy at Darien High School. How else to explain how Marietta was one of 1,948 students selected out of a record of 27,462 applicants for admission to Harvard University this year.
This soon-to-be Harvard coed was affected greatly by her mother, and even though many people in this area are influenced by their parents too much, she has wanted to go to this school not only because her mother went but because she wanted to be there.
“Having spent four years there, I wanted to make sure she knew both the pros and the cons of the school. Once she made her decision, I couldn’t decide what I was more excited about – her going to my alma mater or her going to college in my hometown of Boston!” Marietta’s mom, Eileen Coburn, said.
Getting into Harvard University also became even more difficult this year after a change in the school’s financial aid program combined with Harvard cutting its acceptance percentages from 9 to 7.1 percent. So, how did Marietta stand out? Academics being the obvious answer, but there is more to the admission equation than her performance in the classroom or in the water. Yes, rowing, in fact, is a big part of her Harvard admission's success. But Marietta made sure to include not just this one main activity because she wanted to show the admissions office that she had more to offer than just rowing. For example, she is also plays the trumpet in the Darien High School Band.
Then add in her social skills: Not only is Marietta a good student in school but her friends look to her to liven up the party. "Marietta finds a balance between serious and knowing how to have fun," junior Hadley Green said.
Longtime friend and graduating DHS senior Isabel Castro met Marietta when Isabel moved to Darien in first grade. They were "bus buddies" and Marietta forced her to join crew. "She has always been very driven," Isabel said. "Marietta will succeed at everything she will do."
Marietta’s well-rounded approach to life is reflected in her academic blueprint for college. “I definitely plan on majoring in something in the humanities field, most likely English or history - however I am considering something like sociology or anthropology. I will see what classes I enjoy the most and go from there,” she said.
Marietta’s ability to connect with people and intellectual curiosity will make her an asset to many professions. At the moment, she is focused on a media-related career. “As for professional aspirations, I'm interested in a career in media and communications, but recently I've been thinking about getting involved with the entertainment industry in some way,” Marietta said.
DHS was the first step now up and onward to Harvard. It’s a challenge that she says Darien High School will help her continue to meet. “I feel pretty confident that I can handle the academic challenges because I was able to do pretty well at DHS, especially in the classes I was interested in, but I think Darien High School prepares its students very well for college and I definitely feel ready.”
Don't miss Neirad's annual graduation issue with a complete listing of college and post-grad plans for all our seniors along with features on some of the Class of 2008's most intriguing personalities. The Neirad graduation issue comes out on graduation day on June 18.
