Keira Ahlborn

kahlborn@ucsc.edu (707) 480-6242 Santa Cruz, CA

I am a highly social, quality-oriented UCSC student (3.8 GPA, History/Sociology Major) set to graduate in June of 2026. I spent my high school years at Santa Rosa High School and Fusion Academy Marin primarily engaged in the arts. During my time at SRHS I was an active member of the ArtQuest Dance Company where I learned marketing skills, how to function as a member of a team, and time management. At Fusion, I had a strong role in the on-campus dynamics as the President of our Student Body. I planned and ran Student Meetings, on-campus events, field trips, spirit weeks, and other activities with the goal of creating stronger connections among the students and staff. When I arrived at Fusion I struggled with the lack of social activity, and in response, I worked to push my peers out of their comfort zones until we curated a lively, engaging environment. I also worked as the Editor in Chief of our school newspaper and participated in the creation of our annual yearbook.

I have a lot of gratitude towards Fusion, as it gave me an opportunity to embrace both myself and my academics. For years I couldn’t find purpose in my education, and I have come to realize that it wasn’t what I was learning that didn’t engage me, but the quality of the education system I was learning under. Growing up in public schools exposed me to many different cultures, sexualities, genders, political ideologies, religions, and global issues that drastically changed my perspective on life. I will forever be grateful I was able to experience the culture of a public high school in America because when I transferred to Fusion in June of 2021, the contrast was alarming.

I fell in love with learning, learned an immense amount about different branches of our world, and came out with a deeper understanding of myself, and society. I had numerous people who opened their hearts up to me, and teachers that shared vulnerable connections with me. It makes me angry thinking of all the American children struggling through our education system, and I can not help but feel guilt for the privilege I got being a Fusion student. I often wonder if I would have been able to accomplish what I did if I had instead returned to my public school back home. It is because of this unknowing that I often find myself invalidating my growth. The funniest thing is that I will never know the answers to those questions, yet I have spent so much time within my little life contemplating these choices, cycling through the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘what about's.

Life is going to be a series of choices we make for ourselves until we breathe our last breath and surrender ourselves to whatever comes next, if anything at all. I do not feel resentment towards the old version of me who put me a year behind academically, I feel empathy for what she put herself through as a product of the world she was born into. I do not put myself above my peers who only have access to public education, as I was once in their place, and failed miserably. I do not regret a single decision I have made in this life, as they have all brought me further in my growth. Each student I encountered on campus expanded my view of the world a little more than before, and each one touched my heart in unexplainable ways.

Outside of Fusion I engaged in art through the expression of my body by being a member of the Maximum Motion Dance Company at Windsor Dance Academy. Additionally, I participated in independent photography courses, a New York Film Academy summer camp, acting classes, and starred in and directed a play during my time at Santa Rosa Middle School. As I try to stay engaged with the arts, much of my time in consumed by my history and sociology studies. In my future I hope to teach these subjects, work with nonprofits, experiment with the presentation of historical information through museum curation, and advocate for educational reform within the American public school system.

Relevant Courses

Fusion Academy Marin

• Professional Development: Life Skills

• Professional Development: Business Entrepreneurship

• Relevant Coursework: Creative Writing

• Relevant Coursework: World History

• Relevant Coursework: Digital Photography

• Relevant Coursework: Mythology

University of California, Santa Cruz (09/2022 - 06/2026)

History/Sociology Major 3.81 GPA

August 2019 - February 2020