Graduating with the class of 2026 at Mt. SAC Early College Academy (MECA) is confident and ambitious Tara Phapornchai. She chose to attend MECA for its close-knit environment, saying, “ I wanted an environment where I really could thrive and build close relationships with not just students but with teachers and staff. MECA was the perfect place for me, and I really enjoyed my four years here.”

Phapornchai is excelling in balancing both her school life as well as her non-school life. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching Formula 1.

“I spend all of my free time reading Romance books, and when I am not doing that, I watch Formula 1,” said Phapornchai.

When at school, Phapornchai is very involved. “I am dedicated to making my senior year, as well as my classmates’ senior year, as fun and memorable as possible,” said Phapornchai. And she is fulfilling that dedication as she is greatly involved with all senior activities, with planning events and posting on Instagram accounts.

Phapornchai is the creator of the Instagram account for the senior class of 2026 (meca_classof26). “I made the Instagram account as a hub for all the seniors, so that they are all informed about senior events and activities,” said Phapornchai.

She has also been the one to plan events for seniors, the biggest event being Senior Sunrise. The event took a lot of planning and had some help from ASB adviser and activities director, Gabe Nichols.

“I worked with Mr. Nichols for about a week to plan out the timing of Senior Sunrise and what activities we were going to host during the sunrise. We had a photobooth, food, drinks, picnic blankets, and some miscellaneous games that could entertain the seniors. My main thing was that I organized breakfast at IHOP for the seniors,” said Phapornchai.

With how big of a hit Senior Sunrise was, it has also become one of Phapornchai’s favorite memories of MECA. “I think it was really nice to hang out as a class, and just enjoy our last year together,” she said..

Another fond memory she has of MECA is the annual Summer Social, saying how she “always look[s] forward to summer socials and all the fun activities that we have to welcome summer and finish off the school year.”

With graduation around the corner, Phapornchai already has a plan for her future. Tara says her plans include “to attend a four-year university where I will receive a bachelor’s degree in either business administration or economics.”

Phapornchai hopes to discover more of herself and who she is at college, wanting to explore the world and learn new things. After college, Phapornchai says she plans to “work in the corporate world of finance for a couple of years and hopefully go back to school to get my masters in either business or public policy.”

As Tara is getting ready to graduate and leave MECA, she leaves two messages for the students: “Make the most of it. If you absolutely make the most of it, you will enjoy it,” and lastly, “take advantage of the fact that we are such a small school and have such a tight community. Get to know the teachers and counselors. They will be an absolute blessing when it comes to college applications. Explore as many avenues as you can and be open to new things, you will learn so much about yourself and the world around you.”