Senior Profile: Garrett Heffern '24

          Garrett Heffern ’24 is a versatile individual: an Opinions Editor of the 143rd Lawrence Board, a Merrill Scholar, and a Woodhull House prefect. Describing campus life as “a mixture of stress and fun,” Heffern embraced diverse responsibilities and ventured beyond his comfort zone throughout the past year. 

          The Woodhull House has been a big part of Heffern’s Lawrenceville career. “We are a family,” he explained, “[The House] is a built-in friendship and support system.” While it was challenging at first for Heffern to transition from a member of the House to a prefect, he quickly embodied his role, trying to “go the extra mile [by] taking on house duties.” Similarly, The Lawrence splashed “colors [on his V Form] year.” Heffern expressed that having his co-editor leave the School during the 143rd Board’s first term made it a difficult period for him. “I have never been the best at planning things out,” he confessed, “and working alone blurred out the time stamps.” Although working for The Lawrence occupied a significant proportion of his free time, the company of other board members made the experience extremely enjoyable for him. Similarly, the Merrill Scholars program changed Heffern’s relationship with writing. Brideshead Revisited, a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, particularly reshaped his perception of literature. “[The book and the Merrill Scholars program] made me realize how fun writing could be in a small, tight knit group of passionate people,” he elaborated. 

          The electives that Heffern enrolled in during his V Form year also showed him a new side of Lawrenceville. “Research in Molecular Genetics, for example, blew me away,” he stated. Heffern was stunned by the course content and its flow of tasks. “You get to truly work on what you are fascinated by,” he expanded, while highlighting the collaborative nature of the class. “Creative Writing: Techniques in Poetry and Short Fiction,” taught by Victoria Stitt, has also proved to be one of Heffern’s favorite electives. “I was exposed to writing styles I [had] never seen before, and I loved it,” he explained. “Normally, I tend to gravitate to areas that I relate to and resonate with, but this course forced me to explore outside the box,” he added. The English class, however, wasn’t the only instance in which Heffern stepped outside of his comfort zone during his V Form Winter Term.

          “I really burned out after IV Form year,” Heffern remarked. He recalled that he was “constantly studying in the Woodhull [House] library.” Yet, by the end of the year, he found himself “not having the same work mentality.” As a result, Heffern was encouraged to “branch out and be less heads-down” in his V Form year. From actively engaging in line dancing and acting in Winterfest, to meeting and guiding new members of the Woodhull House, Heffern embarked on numerous new journeys this past year. “I participated in Winterfest because it made me nervous,” he further recalled, but it resulted in a very rewarding experience. Looking ahead, Heffern hopes to continue venturing into new areas and activities. “I want to try out intramural sports like soccer in university and become more involved with engineering,” he elaborated. As a member of the Robotics team at Lawrenceville, Heffern has already been utilizing available resources to explore his interests, and he is hopeful that there will be more opportunities like the robotics co-curricular in the future. 

          While Heffern was “tempted to say that [he] should have started [his] college applications earlier,” his V Form year also produced some of his most defining memories at Lawrenceville. “I felt so much more comfort and confidence walking into V Form fall,” he remarked. Ultimately, these moments made their way into his college application essays and will always shape his narrative of Lawrenceville. Heffern has consistently maintained the philosophy of “trying not to regret,” a sentiment he held onto fervently during his journey at Lawrenceville. Reflecting on his last year at the school, he tells underformers that “it’s okay to be nervous about college applications, but [it’s] just as important to have fun.”