Alumni Spotlight: Lina Barclay

Arlington Tech Alumni Series

Welcome to the Arlington Tech, Governor’s STEM Academy Alumni Series, where we celebrate the remarkable journeys of our graduates and the lasting impact of the Arlington Tech experience.Through this ongoing series, you’ll meet alumni who are thriving in college and launching careers. Each Q&A highlights how Arlington Tech’s project-based learning, collaborative environment, and supportive community prepared them for success, and what advice they have for students following in their footsteps.At Arlington Tech, our commitment to students doesn’t end at graduation—it’s a lifelong connection. We’re proud to showcase the diverse paths our alumni have taken and the incredible things they’re accomplishing. Their stories reflect the innovation, resilience, and leadership that define the Arlington Tech community.

Lina Barclay, Arlington Tech, Governor’s STEM Academy Class of 2022

What have you been up to since graduating from Arlington Tech?

Since graduating from AT, I’ve been having a fabulous time studying Film & TV at Boston University. During my time here, I’ve had the luck to learn from excellent professors and work on a variety of projects with incredible collaborators. Over the last couple summers, I’ve worked on a Netflix set in London, catalogued 16mm films as an archivist in Portland, Maine, and traveled to Xinjiang, China on BU’s dime to film a documentary about an accordion player. Now in my final semester at BU, I’m wrapping up my studies by lensing a thesis film about drag as the cinematographer.

What was a class or project that was most impactful during your time at Arlington Tech?

Outside of my TV Production classes with Mr. O’Day, one of my most impactful classes during my time at AT was my senior year English class with Dr. Leask. I loved that she gave me the opportunity to integrate some of my favorite films into the syllabus — Rebecca, The Talented Mr. Ripley — and write about them in a way that suited both my voice and the assignments. I’ve even gone back and turned a lot of the paper I wrote in that class into video essays for YouTube.

What advise do you have for current high school students?

Give everything 100% of your effort all the time. Read books. Watch films. Visit museums. Delete ChatGPT.

Have you used the skills and experiences from Arlington Tech in college or work?

Arlington Tech’s project-based learning did wonders for me in the real world. Writing essays upon essays for my history, government, and english classes instead of taking multiple-choice tests trained me to be a great writing consultant at BU’s writing center. The research projects I did at Arlington Tech also helped me excel in many classes at BU that I otherwise might have struggled with. Most importantly, as a filmmaker, I use the valuable teamwork skills I learned from working on projects at AT every single day, both on and off set.