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Meet Sophie '22

Name: Sophie Rotman
Years at Shipley: 4
Attending in the Fall: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Major/Area of Interest: Biology
 
Activities:
Psyche Club, High School Democrats Club; Environmental Club; Stocks Club; Adventure Club; Civil Activism Club; Yearbook Club; Compass (Editor); Vinyl Club
 
Who was your most influential teacher and why?
Dr. C - not only was she my math teacher the past two years, but also my advisor my entire time here at Shipley.
 
What was your most memorable experience at Shipley?
Tripping down a single step and breaking my foot. Just kidding - one of the most memorable moments I had at Shipley was the bonding trip we did in 9th grade when we went to the ropes course. I had a lot of fun trying out new activities I never did before with my classmates, even when sometimes difficult, and I even proved that the harness did in fact work when I fell off - no broken bones that time.
 
What does Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing mean to you?
Being brave and doing what you know is right, even if it is hard or scary.
 
Complete this sentence: Shipley has prepared me to…
…handle the workload of college.
 
Reflections on your time at Shipley:
Throughout my four years at Shipley, I've had to overcome adversity when it came to schoolwork - and advocate for myself in the process. Since Middle School, I have had a lot of trouble when it came to writing essays, and by 9th grade, it had become too much for me - especially with in-class writings. I just didn't have enough time to sort out all my thoughts and turn them into an essay, and on the 9th grade English final, I was completely overwhelmed and couldn't get a single word down on the essay section. I knew I needed to get help. So in 10th grade, I was able to get extra time for ICWs, and found out I could talk to Ms. Trainer if I needed help on an assignment.
 
However, that was when COVID hit. Now, math was becoming more difficult for me, as math is such a visual topic that is hard to teach online. But at least everyone was going through it, right? In 11th grade, while most people went back in-person completely, I only went in half the days, and by Thanksgiving, stayed virtual for the rest of the year. Math became even harder as the only one virtual, but I was able to ask for help when needed and make it through the year.
 
In 12th grade, the option of going virtual was completely removed, so I was back in person. The first half of the year went well, but on the first day back in-person after winter break, I broke my foot in a freak accident. I was virtual again for the next month, and while I occasionally had some difficulty in math, I really started having trouble with chemistry, as we were learning brand new concepts. Even after I returned to class in person, I would have to ask Mr. Goren for help quite often, and with his help, I was able to understand what we were doing and catch up with the work. However, I had to push back four test corrections to focus on what we were currently doing in class, and now, I have to make them all up while barely remembering some of the content.
Chemistry, with that and the final, is my last academic challenge left at Shipley - and I can't give up now.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.