Neshaminy graduates have always been a major part of the Neshaminy community, with many supporting the school in many ways, even yeard after graduation. Jake Kramer is a Neshaminy alum who graduated eight years ago. His class was the first class to spend four years at Neshaminy High School, and he was a part of the class of 2013. Jake agreed to come back and be interviewed by the Playwickian about his experience at Neshaminy:

Q: What did you think you would do after graduation?

A: I thought I would become a doctor. When I was an undergrad, I took a wide range of classes and realized that my interests were more aligned with public policy, economics, and the law, so I decided to go to law school instead!”

Q: What do you do currently?

A: I went to Princeton in New Jersey for my undergraduate, and I’m actually studying to become a lawyer. I’m in law school at Harvard Law, and I am currently in my third year.

Q: What activities were you involved in at Nesh?

A: I was the vice president of the National Honors Society, and I was involved in French Club and World Affairs Club. That was, like, a discussion-based club about world affairs and what was going on at the time. I played football for Neshaminy my freshman year, and I worked a lot. I had a part-time job that I worked after school and on weekends.

Q: What do you miss most about Neshaminy?

A: I miss seeing everyone and being around such a large group of people every day. I really miss making new friends all the time. I miss a lot of my teachers and how much a lot of them care about their students. I’ve been very grateful for all the teachers I’ve been able to stay in touch with since then.

Q: What don’t you miss about Neshaminy?

A: Ooh, that’s tough. Let’s see, I don’t miss the crowded hallways or the school lunches. The food is probably the number one thing I don’t miss. Everybody loves a little bit of drama, but I’m glad that went away a little. 

Q: Who was your favorite teacher?

A: Oh, that’s hard. I liked Mr. Oppenheimer! He teaches AP Physics. It was the hardest class I took, but he was so great! Madame Cleary was definitely up there. I had three or four french teachers in high school, but she was awesome! I remember Dr. McGee too. He was the principal at the time, and I remember seeing him around a lot.

Q: Would you have considered yourself popular/well-known in high school?

A: Yeah! I had a lot of friends, and I knew mostly everybody, but I was closer friends with the people I had classes with. Those were the people I would hang out with or study with on the weekends. 

Q: How would you describe your high school experience?

A: It was definitely hard. I mean, high school can really be a lot of work. I think that can be very rewarding, to take on more challenging courses and to get exposure to a wide range of extra-curricular activities, but it can also be a lot of fun. The people you go to high school with are some of your closest friends and will be your closest friends for your entire life. When I look back, the times I spent with them are the really great memories that I miss. Sometimes that’s just in the hallways between classes, other times it’s on the weekends or after school hanging out with people, but it’s part of what makes high school so rewarding: being in such a large and diverse class.

Q: What is the most memorable part of high school for you?

A: I remember my class and teachers a lot when I think back to high school. The comradery you can build through taking classes and studying with people and also just trying to do things as a team and help everyone out makes you a lot closer with everyone. I also remember some more fun things like water balloon fights in the senior lot parking garage during senior year, proms, dances, gym night. Gym night’s a ton of fun. I didn’t do gym night all four years, and I really regret it. I wish I did it every year, it was so much fun.

Q: What advice would you give to current Neshaminy students?

A: Work hard, try to get good grades, and be respectful to your teachers. They can be your friends when you need them to! Definitely cherish the time you spend with your friends before going off to college to work. After you graduate, everyone’s gonna go off in different directions, so enjoy the time you have together now. I think it’s really important to enjoy the time you have with people while you have it. Definitely get involved, even as an underclassman.  Try out different things and don’t assume what you will or won’t be interested in!