Tell us about your journey since KWS.
After I graduated from Kimberton in 2017, I attended Sarah Lawrence College where I concentrated in Creative Writing and Classics (ancient Greek and Latin language, literature, and philosophy.) I studied abroad briefly in Bath, England While at Sarah Lawrence, I fell in love with the ancient Greek language and decided to pursue study at a graduate level, and I started a Master’s degree in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies at Brandeis University in the Fall of 2021. I wrote my graduate thesis on satirical and sincere interpretations of Plato’s Republic, focusing on receptions of a particular strain of twentieth-century political thought and its dialogue with a contemporary speculative fiction series. Now, I am a Fulbright finalist, headed to Cork, Ireland, where I will attend University College Cork for a Master’s degree in Creative Writing. My project focuses on writing a poetry and prose collection about the Banshee (the Irish death messenger) and other wailing women and death messengers from the cultures that comprise my ethnic and intellectual identity.
How did KWS prepare you for what you are doing today?
Kimberton prepared me to be an independent and interesting thinker in the world. The amount of freedom that Kimberton granted me to pursue my own interests within the boundaries of the curriculum (allowing me to pursue an independent study in my junior year to work on my novel, offering me an avenue during my senior project to write and publish a book of short stories and poetry) allowed me to learn to play to my own strengths and to always engage my deep sense of creativity and imagination.
Describe a memory at KWS that particularly stands out.
It is hard to pick a favorite Kimberton memory. I cherish so many of them. The class of 2017’s tenth grade play, Euripides’ Hippolytus, kickstarted my deep and abiding love of Greek tragedy. I translated that play for my undergraduate senior thesis and it is a myth that has stuck with me for many years. It became one of my lifelong literary obsessions. I adored my senior year humanities seminar as well: it was the first place where I encountered Plato. Mostly, though, my greatest Kimberton memories are of a certain kind of stillness and quiet, whenever I was given free reign to write and read and to learn in my own way. Springtime at Kimberton was my favorite time of year.
What would you like to tell current KWS Students (about your studies, about your post-school experience, or general advice)?
In terms of general life advice: never lose your sense of wonder or curiosity. It is the best thing that Waldorf gave me. Do what you love, as often as you can. Dream big, make things.
