Deondre Jordan ’15
Currently Attending: Swarthmore College
Years at Shipley: 2

Activities, Positions, Awards: Chess Club, China Club, Glee Club, Shipley Singers, Varsity Crew; All-School President, Cross-Country Co-Captain; Emma Bailey Speer Award, Scammon Jones Music Award

A Dream Come True
Shipley secured my dream and saved my life. Before coming to Shipley, my path was unclear. Becoming a doctor was my ultimate goal, but I questioned myself as I spent days in an environment, unlike Shipley’s, where I was not encouraged or challenged academically and intellectually. When I arrived at Shipley, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of opportunities, many of which I had never been exposed to.

Taking Risks
Risk-taking was the major theme for my first year at Shipley. Shipley’s profound programs and getting involved in organized sports (Cross Country and Crew), theater, rigorous courses, and Chess Club, opened my eyes to the opportunities of the world. Shipley always kept me busy and thinking. I truly appreciated the academic and non-academic excellence of Shipley.

Learning to Love Learning
My second year at Shipley was all about balance and finding true appreciation of education. Though I loved all of my courses my first year and found much success in them, after a semester in four honors courses I felt that I did not respect the classes for what they really were. After the first quarter of my senior year, I began to love the classes and the coursework, not the grades. Gradually, I stopped looking at my grades everyday. I began to learn because I loved it, not because it was what I needed to do.

Academic Excellence
Shipley nurtured many of my skills and propelled me into a realm of academic excellence in such a short time that I cannot imagine any other school doing it so well and elegantly. The teachers and excellent classes have made me fall more deeply in love with education, something that will help guide me to success no matter what field I pursue.

Most Memorable Experience at Shipley
Backflipping in front of the whole school!

Plans for Fall 2015
I’ll be studying neuroscience at Swarthmore College!

Future Ambition
Having my mother go through two cycles of breast cancer, I was inspired to become a physician. Shipley’s new course, Comparative Anatomy and Neuroscience and great teacher, Greg Clement, helped solidify my dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.