Senior Spotlight: Barb A.
March 14, 2025
Barbara A. joined AIS-Salzburg for the 2020-2021 school year as a junior high student and aside from studying abroad in the US for her 10th-grade year, she has spent her entire high school career at our school. Barb is a five-day boarder and returns to her hometown of Baden bei Wien in Austria for the weekends, where she spends time with her older brother (20) and a younger sister (8). Every year Barb participates on both the volleyball and basketball teams, the latter of which she is currently team captain. Despite the busy sports schedule, Barb manages to also get it done in the classroom, with a cumulative GPA of just over 3.9 during her tenure at our school thus far. Barb plans to study medicine following graduation and eventually become a surgeon.
We invite you to read the interview below with Barb as she enters the final months of her senior year.
Which languages do you speak fluently?
Barbara: I speak German, Polish, and English.
If you could meet someone famous (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
Barbara: I would want to meet Claude Monet. I admire his work due to his portray of the beauty of nature. To see him bring a canvas to live would be truly a dream.
Is there a country you haven't been to which you want to see and if so, why?
Barbara: I always wanted to visit Norway, to see the mountains there and explore them by going on a backpacking trip with my brother.
What hobbies or passions do you have that you like to do in your free time?
Barbara: I am passionate about sports. Pursuing any type of sport pushes me to do my best and it clears my head of anything bothering me. Especially skiing, because there is nothing better than carving down the mountains. At AIS-Salzburg, I have been playing volleyball and basketball for multiple years and I always find joy in the days I have practice or tournaments.
Photo: Barb has been skiing since she was “able to walk” and is a starter on both the girls’ varsity volleyball and basketball teams.
What aspects of team sports do you enjoy?
Barbara: I greatly enjoy the independence and personal progress of skiing, but in team sports I get to share the experiences. I find it bliss to share progress and experiences with other people because you need to rely on each other to fulfill the common goal and when it results in a victory, sharing it with a team is much better. Of course, team sports include more conflicts, but working through them builds up teamwork and accountability.
What is your favorite class and why?
Barbara: Although I often say that I do not enjoy calculus, it is my favorite class. I enjoy the difficulty and complexity of it.
Who is your favorite teacher or staff member and why?
Barbara: Ms. Kasberger is a great teacher and although I don’t have her this year, she has been always helpful regarding college applications, as well as being helpful with general questions. She is also always asking how everyone is doing and sincerely cares about each individual well-being.
What do you like about going to AIS-Salzburg?
Barbara: Well as a boarder, I only have to walk downstairs to go to classes, but what I mostly appreciate about going to AIS-Salzburg is the study habits that the school has established for me to adopt, as well as the activities they offer on the weekends.
Photo: Barb receives the 2023-2024 ‘Female Student-Athlete of the Year’ award.
What do you like about going to AIS-Salzburg?
Barbara: Well as a boarder, I only have to walk downstairs to go to classes, but what I mostly appreciate about going to AIS-Salzburg is the study habits that the school has established for me to adopt, as well as the activities they offer on the weekends.
Has your time at AIS-Salzburg changed you in a positive way and if so, how?
Barbara: Coming to AIS-Salzburg, I was doing very poorly at school but as I started having study hall and motivation from the school, I became one of the top students of my class
Which APs are you taking this year and how challenging to do you find them?
Barbara: AP Chemistry, AP European History, AP Literature, AP Calculus, AP Biology, and AP Psychology. I find the courses are very manageable, but I struggle with cramming all of the material for one test.
Which universities have applied to, which is your top choice(s), and why?
Barbara: I have applied to Northeastern and Yale for now. They are very difficult schools to get in, but if I never tried I would never know. My top choice is Northeastern, due to its co-op program, which is a program where you have a job in your field for a semester. I also want to study there due to its reputation of having a positive environment. I don’t have the biggest hopes to get into either school, but I am also considering a gap year.
We invite you to watch the Instagram highlight video below of Barb as an example of the AIS-Salzburg student-athlete.
