MADDIE DEISTER

  • Attending the University of Arkansas, majoring in economics and communications

  • Favorite Activities: Everything with Dante House, the cooking elective with Mrs. Mac, all the retreats, the end-of-year “May things”

  • Favorite Memory: After a retreat when the teachers met the seniors at the school, made them pancakes and “went around and told each person why they loved us.”

  • Most Important Message: “Thank you to my teachers and to my parents!”

     

Summer Ficinus

  • Attending College of the Ozarks, majoring in business management
  • Favorite Activities: Volleyball and Basketball, for the relationships with younger and older girls; NHS and Stuco, for the mentoring
  • Advice for Younger Students: “See one another as brothers and sisters, and that will help you to love one another unconditionally.”
  • Favorite Quote: “1, 2, 3, Focus!” Mrs. Dodd, Kindergarten Teacher

Emma Grace Jones

  • Attending Wichita State University, majoring in forensic science

  • A Favorite Memory: All of the trips, “You cannot replicate what happens on trips when in the school building, like the bonding on the ninth grade Sagrada trip where we worked hard, made progress and had a lot of fun together.”

  • Favorite Classes: Art History and Music History, “I was able to learn and not be stressed out about it.”

  • Advice to Younger Students: “Get your work done, don’t put it off.” and “Know that your teachers love all the students; they will be there for you. Don’t be afraid to go to them.”

Paige Lettow

  • Attending Hillsdale College, majoring in mathematics
  • Favorite Memories: Upper School – Class trip to Sagrada and Shakespeare plays;
  • Lower School – Bible skits in fifth grade.
  • Favorite Class: Greek, “We have had a small class since sophomore year and Mr. Metcalf lets us pick which passage we want to translate and learn the manuscripts we want to learn.”
  • Advice to Younger Students: “Your teachers really want to invest in you. You can say anything to them if having trouble. Use your teachers they are a really great resource.”

Kevin Martin

  • Working for Big O Automotive this fall and subsequently plans to attend Longview Community College’s Automotive program
  • Favorite Activities: The seniors’ recent trip to Florida. “I enjoy being around my class in downtime.”
  • Favorite Memory: Being welcomed by his Virgil housemates at his first WA retreat
  • Advice to Younger Students: “Stay focused on resolving conflict when it comes up.”

Audrey Morgan

  • Attending the University of York, majoring in English Language and Linguistics
  • Favorite Memories: Upper School – Student directing and “all that came with it” for Macbeth;
  • Lower School – As a sixth grader writing, directing her classmates, and acting in her own iambic pentameter version of Return of the Jedi
  • Favorite Classes: Art History; “in general, all the art classes”
  • Advice for younger students, “You are going to look back on your middle school and high school self and cringe so you might as well do what you want and make yourself cringe as much as possible.”

Aaron Perry

  • Attending Cedarville University, majoring in mechanical engineering
  • Favorite Memory: Lower School – “Because it was right by my house” our field trip to Deanna Rose Farmstead; Upper School – The senior class trip to Florida was the “best experience because of the people I was with and the activities we were doing.”
  • Advice to Younger Students: “It’s not about grades but using the teachers you have and the experience and advice they can give.”
  • Reflection: “Whitefield provides a great education but provides even better people to teach it. The teachers teach more than just the course, they teach life and how to do life.”

Emma Pesek

  • Attending the University of Dallas, majoring in Spanish
  • Favorite Quote: “Be still and know that I am God” used as encouragement and quoted by Mr. Castro, Physics teacher
  • Favorite Memory: She had not been available to practice with the rowing team because of doing Shakespeare Friday night.  She and Mary Grace got up super early Saturday morning to drive to their Oklahoma regatta, and then they actually won their race. “The best thing was the (amazing) way we felt when we got out of the boat.”
  • Advice to Younger Students: “Take advantage of the friendships you make here. Be authentic and one hundred percent yourself. Everyone is welcomed here.”

Mary Grace Wilson

  • Attending the University of Tulsa, majoring in nursing

  • A Favorite Upper School Memory: The first few retreats when we started in upper school “I felt so cool when the older kids talked to me.”

  • Advice to Younger Students: “Teachers care about your education and your heart and want you to be the best disciple of Christ that you can be” and “You can do so many things at Whitefield; try things you might not think you will like.”

  • Reflection: “It’s been nice to go to school with my siblings. I have had space to watch them grow.”