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Meet Rita '22

Name: Rita Grimmig
Years at Shipley: 12
Attending in the Fall: Davidson College
Major/Area of Interest: The Sciences
 
Activities:
DEI (Co-President); Community Life Representative (2 years); Sprouts Member; Musical; Admissions Ambassador; Softball; Soccer
 
Who was your most influential teacher and why?
Mr. Batkie in my 9th-grade year because he helped me to first love science. He also helped to foster more confidence in the sciences, allowing me to think of pursuing med school In the future possibly.
 
What was your most memorable experience at Shipley?
My favorite experience was the outreach of the Shipley community, namely the faculty, after my car accident in my junior year. Teachers were reaching out to offer their academic and emotional support. The head of the high school at the time even sent me a digital card to make sure I was feeling okay.
 
What does Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing mean to you?
Courage to try new things, and grace in the face of failure.
 
Complete this sentence: Shipley has prepared me to…
…be my most authentic self in every setting, unapologetically.
 
Reflections on your time at Shipley:
I have learned how to communicate effectively at Shipley. Whether speaking to parents at an admissions event or giving a presentation, I have the skills to speak about various topics in different settings with confidence. Also, I fostered close connections with my teachers and made connections with other faculty members that will benefit me in the future. Many faculty advisors, who I never had, were willing to reach out to college and put in a good word for me, just out of the kindness of their hearts. Also, being willing to take risks is something that Shipley has taught me, and although they are scary and difficult, they pay off in the end. Doing Honors Biology in my junior year was incredibly difficult, but it helped to raise my confidence in hard science, especially coming from standard chemistry (which I dropped down to due to lack of confidence.) Also, auditioning for the musical was terrifying as a small 9th grader, and although I am still small in my senior year, I was able to be the lead just like I had dreamed of since Lower School. I have not always had confidence in myself, but I had an interesting "Aha moment" at Shipley. Many of my teachers saw how difficult I was on myself, expecting perfection, but they would constantly offer words of encouragement while I was putting in my best effort for every assignment. Teachers would even tell me I was being too hard on myself, and I am doing the best I can, which is good enough. Having teachers help me learn, instead of forcing me to memorize, really showed me my true potential as a learner, and helped me to gain confidence for Davidson and maybe even med school.
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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.