Hello! My name is Jennifer Shaughnessy, but most people call me Jenny. I currently go to the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science. Before, I attended Concord-Carlisle High School.
I love being with my friends and family in my free time. While I don’t get to see some of my old friends as often, I’m trying to make it work! For me, MAMS is both fun and challenging.
My mom, my dad, and I make up our family. My mom is from Thailand, so we visit my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins there. I have 10 cousins, and I love seeing all of them. My relatives are from different provinces in Thailand, so we usually meet up at my grandparents' house/shop in Nakhon Sawan, meaning "City of Angels" in Thai. I like cities because most places are within walking distance. The night markets in Nakhon Sawan have great food, and the weather is always warm.
Below are some pictures of me and my best friends. Cordelia (top left) and I usually travel together. We've been to lots of places, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Florida, Portugal, Spain, Iceland, and Lichtenstein (could you point it out on a map?). It's a lot of fun to be around her. I've known Sammy (top right) and Claire (top right) since fourth grade. They've always been there to support me, and we have great times together.
In Carlisle, we celebrate Old Home Day, which includes a frog jumping contest. We used to participate; however, I have never won! Normally, we canoed around for frogs the day before. I like the outdoors, but if possible, I would never like to interact with bugs ever again. (No frogs were harmed in the process of making these photos. I let them go back in their pond afterwards.)
We have a family parrot named Bernie, who is an African Grey. Bernie is in his late twenties right now. He has been a constant fixture in my life, chattering throughout the day. Bernie developed a bad heart condition over a decade ago, which means he cannot fly. Surgery is too great of a risk, so we just treat him the best we can. I think that birds are beautiful and interesting!
I’ve been on the math team every year since eighth grade and continue to do so at MAMS. Trying to solve a difficult problem can be extremely satisfying, and while some problems are a little frustrating, the challenges and the connections you can make are the main reasons I like math. I like talking to people about problems and seeing how they may have approached it differently. Math team at MAMS has been so much fun so far! I look forward to the rest of the year.
In addition, I am on the robotics team. Last year, I mostly worked on the hook system. Click here to visit my old robotics team's website. I had a lot of fun working on the physical side of the robot. I had never worked with power tools before, so it was both exiting and scary. I cut spacers, fixed broken rollers, and even drilled holes. This year, I've been more involved in brainstorming and design. So far, the team has gone to off-season events including Savage Soccer. Vaishnavi Harish and I made the robot below.
I like to play the piano and read. I have less time now, but I still want to keep them up as hobbies. I was part of the book club last year, and I loved it. I like thrillers and sci-fi books best. To the right is a picture of me reading that I took for LA class one year.
