After the Marathon bombings and during the days of the manhunt, a BRFHS student was out east, very close to where it all took place.

Senior Zayta Thundercloud  visted New Hampshire for a college visit at Ivy League school, Dartmouth. She attended an admitted-student program called Dimensions at Dartmouth for prospective students. There were many seminars and classes the students were able to sit in. The high school seniors stayed in dorms with a host.

“They had a lot of presentations promoting their school. It was a really positive experience,” said Thundercloud.

With all that was going on with the Boston bombings and the manhunt, Zayta was not  in the middle of it all, but she still had a challenging travel experience. The chaos resulted in few delays which interrupted Zayta’s trip.

“I left Thursday. my first flight was cancelled so I had to take a bus from Wausau to Minneapolis. I was late for my initial flight from Minneapolis to Boston, so I was rescheduled. My rescheduled flight was delayed because of the ice storm. I finally landed in Boston but I ended up missing my bus to the campus, due to the delays. I didn’t get to Dartmouth until 10 that night. That was three days after the bombings,” said Thundercloud.

That Friday, the manhunt took place. Campuses were evacuated around the area and security was very strong.

“They evacuated the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth and many people thought that was where I was. But really I was at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The whole campus was talking about what was going on because we were only about two hours away. I still did not really know what was going on the day of the manhunt. I flew home the next day, on Saturday. The airport in Boston ( Logan International Airport) had heightened security; however, my flights were on time and I made it home just in time for prom,” said Thundercloud.

Thundercloud’s family back in Black River Falls faced some anxiety. Her mother did not attend the program with her daughter, so Zayta went alone.

“I was excited for Zayta to go to New Hampshire, but I was scared to let her go by herself. With all the things going on in Boston, I was a little nervous, but I am just glad that she is home and safe. She has a bright future ahead of her,” said mother Wendy Chamberlain.

On April 30, the day before the national deadline, Zayta Thundercloud submitted her intent to enroll at Dartmouth. She will be a part of the Dartmouth College class of 2017.