Name: Ishea
Currently Attending: Princeton University
Years at Shipley:4
Activities & Positions Held: Student Government (Sophomore & Senior Class President) Yearbook (Editor), Senior Ambassador, Crew (9th-12th), Basketball (9th-10th), Stage Crew (10th)

Reflections on Shipley
I am proud that I ended up coming to Shipley because I grew as a leader and a student with the help of Shipley’s great community. As a new freshman, I had no idea what to expect coming to a new school in an unfamiliar part of town, but all of my classmates and teachers were truly welcoming and helped me to feel like part of the community right away. Despite being new, I was encouraged to challenge myself in and out of the classroom, and I took the risk of running for sophomore class president at the end of 9th grade, which ultimately paid off. Along with joining student government, I also joined the crew team, and, with the encouragement of my teachers, I felt comfortable enough to take more rigorous honors courses as the years progressed.

Now, I feel comfortable in my academic abilities. I took many challenging and fascinating classes at Shipley, which changed the way I imagined a high school curriculum. The freedom of course selection in senior year was especially helpful to me because I have a broad range of interests, and I was able to create a schedule for myself that held my attention throughout the year. During my time at Shipley, I also learned how ask for help when I needed it. My teachers made themselves so available to me that I was comfortable advocating for myself, and I was encouraged to share my questions in class to advance everyone’s learning. I had no idea as a freshman that Shipley would come to be such a large part of my life, but now I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out without Shipley and its community. Shipley gave me the academic foundation and the confidence in myself and my abilities that will be paramount for me in college.

Who was your most influential teacher and why?
My most influential teacher at Shipley was my 11th grade Honors English teacher Dr. Pickering. She is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met, and she pushed me to read and analyze literature in a completely new way over the course of her class. I had more pertinent and productive conversations in that class than I had in any other class. We read some tough books, most notably Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, and we explored the implications presented on the nature and fate of humanity. Dr. Pickering is an authoritative yet passionate and encouraging teacher. I often chatted with her about life, but more importantly, I can always rely on her for a good book recommendation (or twelve).

What was your most memorable experience at Shipley?
My most memorable experience at Shipley was serving as senior class president this past school year. I was honored to be elected again, and I put a lot of hard work and effort into planning fun events and activities for my class. Planning and executing prom, senior week, and the senior class trip to Six Flags were a few major highlights of my presidency, but it was amazing to work with the other fantastic students on student government. I remember all the fun we had and bonding we did on the student leadership retreat, and I think that trip had a large part in laying the foundation for a great year. 

What are your plans for the fall of 2019?
Next fall I will be attending Princeton University. I am undecided as to what I would like to major in, but I have an affinity for the sciences.

Are you going to college to nurture a talent that you honed during your time at Shipley?
I don’t have any singular or specific talents, but I am going on to college to broaden and deepen my love of learning. At Shipley, I was able to take a range of classes that sparked my interests, whether in English, the Sciences, or Math. I am looking forward to joining a new, diverse school community next year where I will be able to build on my Shipley foundation.

What is your future ambition and what led you to this ambition?
My future ambition is to continue to grow as a learner and leader and to eventually be able to use my knowledge to help others. Medical research is interesting to me and is a potential career path that would allow me to combine my fascination with the sciences with public health. However, whatever I end up doing, I hope to be passionate about my work and help others while doing it.

What does Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing mean to you?
For me, Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing means being dedicated yet humble in everything you do. It means doing every task, the difficult and the tedious, deliberately and purposefully. The phrase is a mantra for encouragement and honor to live by and revisit often.

What impact or contributions do you think you have made at Shipley and in the larger community?
I think I have made contributions to the image of Shipley through working as an ambassador and speaking at admissions events. I hope to have set an example for the hard work and dedication of a Shipley student, especially with my work as senior class president. Overall I would like to think that I impacted the people I came into daily contact with and hopefully was able to brighten their day or make them laugh.

Complete this sentence: Shipley has prepared me to… handle challenges with grace.