Seniors Are Visionary, Strategic in Getting the Most out of Ravenscroft

As members of the graduating Class of 2022 cross the stage, diplomas in hand, and prepare for the time-honored tossing of mortarboards that signifies the conclusion of their commencement ceremony, some will take a moment to reflect on the journey that has brought them here. Others will be looking ahead, imagining the many new experiences that await them in college and the wider world. Indeed, that is the balancing act for all students as they approach the end of their time at Ravenscroft: what they are doing to get to this moment, and what comes next.

For many students and their families, the years they’ve spent at Ravenscroft are all about getting the most out of the many courses, programs and opportunities the school and the community provide. Here, we highlight four graduating seniors who have been visionary in identifying their passions — for scholarship, service, civic and global engagement, and leadership — and strategic in both learning and doing as much as they could in their time on our campus.

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Lindsey Carter ’22

By Stacy Calfo

According to Google, a well-rounded student is one who is involved in a lot of different activities and is pretty good at all of them. Lindsey Carter ’22 could possibly be part of Google’s newest definition. While she describes herself as “most definitely a STEM girl” who took full advantage of “math classes all the way up to Multivariable Calculus and AP Biology, Chemistry and Mechanical Physics,” this National Merit semi-finalist has excelled in her classes across the board — and more.

“Lindsey has touched many facets of Ravenscroft at the highest possible level,” Mike Ramel, varsity girls basketball coach, said. “She thrived in academia and was involved heavily in the arts and chorus” — including being selected to attend All-State Chorus this year — “all while being a three-sport athlete in cross country, soccer and a four-year starter on the varsity basketball team.”

Lindsey emphasized that it’s because of the support of the Ravenscroft community that she has been able to do and excel at so much.

“Ravenscroft gave me the freedom to do everything,” she said. “The flexibility and understanding of students’ priorities between their different extracurricular activities certainly relieves stress and prevents restriction.”

But it was Lindsey who made it work.

“While Lindsey is clearly brilliant, she also has an unparalleled work ethic,” Upper School Math Department chair Michael Erikson, who is Lindsey’s advisor, said. “To be the top performer in your favorite subject is an accomplishment worthy of celebration. To be the top performer in your fourth-favorite subject — that’s unprecedented!”

This fall, Lindsey is heading to the University of Chicago, where she will major in molecular engineering and play basketball for the Maroons. Her hope is that the legacy she leaves behind will inspire others to shoot for the stars.

“I want the school community and younger Ravens to remember that I did do it all, that I could do it all, and that I did all of it well,” Lindsey said. “I also want them to remember that I found my own balance, the balance that was right for me. My balance is entirely different from someone else’s. Point yourself in the direction you want to go and plow down those roads. And if something doesn’t work out, if you find out that you really don’t like something or you’re stretched too thin, then change directions. Failure is okay.”

Lindsey Carter ’22

Jairus Cook ’22

By Stacy Calfo

The Levine Scholars Program is UNC-Charlotte’s most prestigious merit scholarship program, with only 20 scholarships awarded each year to extraordinary high school seniors based on scholarship, ethical leadership and civic engagement.

Those who know Jairus Cook ’22 well understand why he was selected for this scholarship — the first Raven to become a Levine Scholar. Over the next four years, he will receive a full-tuition scholarship and a grant to implement a service project — plus enjoy summer intensives that further develop his leadership skills, social awareness and international perspective.

“I nominated Jairus for the Levine Scholarship not just for his excellent academic work but also because of his sincere dedication to giving back to both the Ravenscroft community and the city of Durham, where he lives,” Co-Director of College Counseling Lia Prugh said. “Jairus is an ethical, wise leader whose voice is greatly valued in the classroom.”

Jairus has also distinguished himself through his work in Innovation, Design and Engineering, taking electives focusing on entrepreneurship and serving as president of the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers Jr.

“My future aspirations are to become an engineer and entrepreneur who invents products to better people’s lives,” he said. “I took these electives at Ravenscroft to get a sense of what these subjects are like in the real world, and they did just that. The academic rigors and resilience I’ve learned at Ravenscroft have set me up for success.”

Jairus’s leadership in the Upper School affinity group My Brother’s Keeper, service as a peer facilitator for Dialogue Across Difference — where he’s learned how to hold a space for others to respectfully discuss their ideas — and his volunteer work at the Durham Arts Council’s summer camps have also fueled his dedication to helping others.

“I have a passion for leading and guiding those younger than me to ask questions and listen, really listen,” Jairus said. “I believe this is how I achieved my own success: by actively engaging with whatever material I was learning and constantly asking questions. Thank you to all of my teachers who pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to go above and beyond.”

Jairus Cook ’22

Ethan Erickson ’22

By Kevin Flinn

Now in its seventh year, the senior speech program is the primary Lead From Here vehicle for Ravenscroft’s 12th-graders. Seniors reflect on their journey through this lens, then they write and present speeches to their advisory, whose members vote on the best speech. Next, those dozen winners give their speeches to the entire Upper School, and the seniors elect one of those students to speak at graduation.

It will come as little surprise to anyone who knows Ethan Erickson ’22 that his peers in the senior class elected him as their graduation speaker. His speech, which was about anachronisms, exemplifies his thought process: reflective in considering the past while perceptive about what’s still to come. It’s the perfect combination for a milestone event imbued with shared history and nostalgia while simultaneously humming with anticipation.

Ethan credits Ravenscroft’s International Diploma and Youth and Government programs with helping him shape his plans for the future. The former’s required reading, in fact, made a particular impact on his ambitions at Boston College. “I plan on double-majoring in history and physics so that I can translate heightened awareness into technology,” he said. “Farther down the line, I’ve imagined NGO-, intelligence- or State Department-related careers. I am very thankful for this program.”

Similarly, Ethan’s participation in YAG has changed the way he thinks about the world around him. Ravenscroft Co-Director of College Counseling Sean Kennedy, who serves as the YAG advisor, said, “Ethan has been one of the most enthusiastic and engaged members of the YAG delegation since he joined in ninth grade. He graduates having left an incredible impact on our program.”

“What fascinated me most was the immersion it created,” Ethan said of YAG. “You’re at the Raleigh Conference Center, participating in a modern product of a complex social system whose progenitor existed 2,500 years ago. It is normally difficult to reconcile all that has come before with the present moment. The YAG program environment simplifies this connection.”

When asked what advice he’d give current Ravenscroft students, Ethan responded simply, “Read. Don’t be satisfied with passed-down knowledge. Never think you’re an expert on any topic, because a new angle will always emerge.”

Ethan Erickson ’22

Delaney Washington ’22

By Kevin Flinn

Since arriving in the Upper School, Delaney Washington ’22 has used every tool at her disposal to change her world for the better. “It’s all about using opportunities to be passionate about creating things,” she said, “not only for my peers but for the people who will follow me at Ravenscroft.”

A Middle School passion for STEM led her to found the Girls Who Code club as a freshman. She has also served in a number of roles in student government — including SGA president this year — and is the grade-level representative for the Nubian Queens affinity group.

Delaney will also graduate with Ravenscroft’s International Diploma. Although she primarily joined the program for the travel options, one of the biggest takeaways she identifies today was the Global Issues course she took during her junior year. “It let me have conversations and dialogues I’ve never had before,” she noted, “and I got to learn about different experiences from other young student leaders around the world.”

Melanie Spransy, Director of Global Education and Delaney’s advisor, said that through the ID program Delaney “has transformed into a knowledgeable global citizen who can see issues from multiple perspectives and effectively advocate for human rights. I have no doubt that she will make the world a better place.”

It was during a virtual conference hosted by the Global Education Benchmark Group that Delaney was struck with a new idea, one that may ultimately define her legacy at Ravenscroft: the Student Diversity Advisory Council. “I didn’t want it to be a club, because it felt more important than that,” she said. Noting that Ravenscroft already has a number of student leadership groups — Student Government Association, Community Service Board, Honor Council — she said SDAC “felt like another way to pour my identity into something I’m passionate about.

“I wish I could’ve had this 10 years ago, five years ago,” she said of SDAC, adding that she knows “future students will have the benefit of it.”

While she has certainly left her mark on Ravenscroft, the school has also helped Delaney develop her leadership abilities. “More than anything, Ravenscroft has given me advocacy skills that I’ll definitely take to Georgetown,” she said. “You might as well propose something — the worst they can say is ‘no’!”

Delaney Washington ’22

Read about more accomplishments and aspirations of the Class of 2022 on our Senior Success webpage!

Innovation, Design and Engineering: Ethan Carter ’22 and Amelia Krafft ’22

International Diploma: Rachel Mason ’22, Davis Anderson ’22, Mavi Sandhu ’22 and Deya Singh ’22

Youth and Government: Sunishka Deshpande ’22 and Simone Baldwin ’22