Before the world shifted, the Advancement Office had planned to share senior spotlights on some of the faces of the Class of 2020 and what Darlington means to them. These students represent everything Darlington’s faculty and staff work tirelessly for - our future alumni.
There has never been a better time to feature our seniors - they deserve the spotlight as the spring they so looked forward to has shifted. This series will feature several Darlington seniors who will share their favorite things about Darlington and also how they are adjusting to this new world of distance learning.
We hope you will enjoy getting to know these seniors better and will make a gift to honor the Class of 2020, who need our support now more than ever. To make a gift to the 2019-2020 Darlington Fund please click here.
How have you met the challenge of distance learning?
It's been for the most part easy to transition to our distance learning classes and especially helps now to stay on somewhat of a schedule which has overall made me feel much better staying at home and feeling efficient with my time. The only struggles that I've come to is with certain classes is that it's much harder to teach yourself and take time to put in the extra work to understand, such as AP Chemistry.
Where are you from?
I am from Cedartown, Georgia.
What’s your favorite song?
My favorite song at the moment is “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa.
What’s your favorite thing served in the dining hall?
My favorite is probably the Bang-Bang Shrimp if I had to pick just one.
Do you have any family that attended Darlington?
My older brother, Carter, graduated in 2016 from Darlington and is currently doing an internship in Washington, D.C., with the National Foreign Relations Committee until May then will graduate from Mercer in the fall.
What house are you in and do you hold any leadership positions?
I have been in Thornwood House since sophomore year and am a day leader in the dorm.
What are you involved in at Darlington?
I am involved with varsity basketball and softball, which take up most of my time, but I am also involved in FCA and was in a club called YUM Club last year. In this, we would receive a package from a different country either every week or every other week which would contain foods to try from the country and an information package to learn more about the country itself.
Who is your favorite coach and why?
My favorite coach is Coach Hall. She has coached our varsity girls’ basketball since my freshman year, spending two years as the assistant then taking over for my junior and senior seasons. She is my favorite coach because she loves to teach new things and has been essential to me growing my game to where it is now. Without her, I would not be going to play Division I basketball.
What is your favorite place on campus and why?
My favorite place on campus would either be the gym or the Lakeside. The gym is obviously one of the two because of how much I time I spend in there and just the joy from basketball itself, but also because our gym especially provides me with so much to work with and use to get better. The Lakeside is one of the prettiest and calming scenes on the whole campus. Walking by it on certain days, you just can’t help but think how blessed you are to go to school at an institution like Darlington.
Who is your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher is Mr. Shorey. He is a teacher that truly wants us to succeed and gives us every opportunity to yet also allow us to put in the time that we want. I feel as though this environment teaches us a work ethic that is solely on us and not based on someone else pushing us which I believe will be essential in college.
Where do you want to go to college and what do you want to do?
I will be attending Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, after graduating this May. I intend to major in psychology while also getting my prerequisites for medical school. I also intend to minor in Spanish.
If you could name the two new swans what would you name them?
Sam, after Mr. Moss, and May, for the best month of the year (GRADUATION).
The Darlington Fund raises $1 million every year. If you were given $10,000 what program would you want to give it to and why?
I would use the money to equal out the difference in funding between sports. I believe that by raising the standard of all of our sports to be the same, we could raise our athletic department as a whole to fit all student needs. This would appeal to more prospect students as well.
We have 1,500 donors who give to Darlington every year sure you have a great experience - in 10 words or less how would you thank them?
Thank you for a school that will shape me forever.
What is your favorite thing about Darlington and why is that important to you?
My favorite thing about Darlington is the opportunities and resources that it gives to prepare you to thrive in whatever comes next. This includes AP class opportunities to challenge yourself with, the sports resources you can utilize to prepare yourself if you wish to go play in college, or even the teachers that teach you and treat you like equals. At Darlington, you are not only given the opportunities but expected to utilize them. My favorite part about Darlington is the standard that it holds you to, no matter the setting. It has shaped me so that I will continue to hold myself to this standard in everything I do in the future.
