College/School Attending This Fall:  Villanova University

Major/Area of Interest: Physics

Years at Shipley: 13

Orchestra (first violin), Varsity soccer, Dance, Dance Teacher

My most influential teacher at Shipley was Mr. Maurer, whom I took classes with for two years. He is not known for being the most generous grader in the world, but this pushed me to produce my most developed papers and pieces of creative writing that I have ever written. I was able to have discussions with him about anything that I questioned in a book we read, and through the class discussions I could learn more about the book’s nuances or see a different perspective. Every time I wrote a paper, Mr. Maurer would write extensive and thorough feedback that I would use to improve on the next paper, until I produced the writing I am proud of today.

My favorite class was Great Books with Mr. Maurer. I really enjoyed reading the books and discussing what made them "great.” I felt like there were always new things to discuss, and everyone brought a different perspective into the discussions.

My most memorable Shipley experience was being in the 4th grade and getting to trick my teacher at her retirement party. My friend and I pretended we were in trouble so that she would come into the cafeteria, and then everyone jumped out and surprised her. It was so much fun, but it definitely made me realize how late I was to most classes, since she believed me so easily.

No subject has ever come easily to me, or been immediately intuitive. Due to this, I have come to understand that courage for the deed is the ability to be brave and believe that you can do hard things. It is courage that allowed me to bounce back from every setback that I experienced and caused me to change my perspective. And with this courage comes the need to be gracious with yourself as well as others. We are all trying our best, and while that may not always be as perfect as we would like, I have learned that my best is good enough. As long as I consistently challenge myself and do not give up, I deserve to allow myself grace in the presence of my imperfections.

Shipley prepared me to step into new areas with an open mind and gave me the drive to learn as much as I can. Shipley taught me that there is no downside to trying different things and taking different subjects. You never know what may click for you.

During my time at Shipley, I took risks in artistic, academic, and musical areas which were only made possible by the teachers who helped me along the way. Over the years, Shipley never closed any doors to me; they simply said, "Let's find a way to make this work for you the best we can.” I created two very large sculpture projects as an art major, and both seemed out of reach at the start. But the faculty never told me it couldn't be done, and instead, helped me plan and get any materials I would need to make my work the success that it was. In the same way, I played with the Upper School Orchestra since I was in 5th grade, which was an incredible risk for the orchestra director, Mr. Mata, to take. However, he only encouraged me and helped me to prepare and practice so that I could learn from the seniors in Orchestra and grow as a violin player throughout the years. Academically, I was able to skip Algebra 2 and take Precalculus in my sophomore year. That was an incredibly challenging year for me, and I often doubted myself and second-guessed the risk that I took by skipping a year of math.

My time at Shipley taught me to find my own way and to try new things no matter the risk. Now I can put myself in any classroom with the confidence to know that I can learn anything and the perseverance to learn from every mistake. Where I used to be afraid to ask questions, I can now freely speak to my teachers and voice my opinions. Shipley has never said "no" to anything that I wanted to do, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had and the things I was able to accomplish because of that.