Phoebe Christos ’18: Furthering the mission of creating future leaders the Episcopal Academy’s Esse Quam Videri group has been an essential component in helping students improve their leadership skills and lead the Episcopal Academy community. With a fresh faced group of ten seniors in charge this year many new initiatives and ideas will set it apart from the EQV of the past.
These events and programs are meant to uphold the mission of EQV. Melina Walling ‘16, EQV member, states, “The purpose of EQV is to help Episcopal students feel like they have a place in the greater community and while they are still growing and exploring, they know that they serve a purpose and can fit in.” Their mission statement sums up their plans for the year saying, “EQV strives to help each student develop a sense of identity within the Episcopal community by promoting unity, passion and school spirit.” This initiative planned to be debuted this November helps further this year’s EQV mission statement.
One of the new initiatives, Career Day, will be a monthly occurrence, during which someone who is accomplished in any given field of a career will come to EA and speak with the students about their job and all that it entails. Walling ‘16, explains, “Career Day is a great chance for kids to think about their future after Episcopal. It is really nice because there is no pressure and it’s just an easy thing to do in order to gain a better understanding about what you might want to be outside of Episcopal.” Sarah Baker, Chair of English Department and EQV faculty advisor continues, “Career day is the retool of an old program that we are sort of bringing back. However, this way it is more beneficial to the students because they are able to choose what interests them and can also gain exposure to careers that they may not have otherwise known that they would enjoy. It also is going to make connections amongst the alumni and the student base.”
Photo Courtesy of Bradlie Morgan ’16
Jonathan Lewis ‘16 also a member of EQV says, “This summer during our EQV retreat, we decided that we wanted to implement an initiative that would help our students beyond the classroom. Since we realized we are one of the few schools who don’t host a Career Day, we wanted to start one. The goal of this day would be to open juniors and seniors up to various career opportunities and give them realistic insight into what it would be like to work in a specific career field. We’ve gotten a great reaction from the alumni office, they seem ready to help and the faculty seem excited about it as well.”
Faculty members across the board are excited about Career Day as well. “I think that Career Day is a great initiative. It is helpful for both the alums and the current students at EA. I love how one event can help both aspects of the EA community. The students get a great taste for future career paths and possibilities and the alumni are also able to make connections with current students. It is so interesting to see the success of all of these EA graduates,” states Holly Johnston, IV Form Dean.
Along with the faculty, students of all grades are excited about this new opportunity for them as well. Sydney Donaldson ‘17 is really looking forward to Career Day. She explains, “I think it’s a really good idea, especially for people who are unsure about what they might want to be when they are older. I know that I am going to go to the days that I think may possibly interest me but it’s really nice that you don’t have to go to all of them, since it’s not mandatory. Giving kids the the option of attending when it interests them most will make it a much more enthusiastic and rewarding experience.”
This initiative planned to be debuted this November helps further this year’s EQV mission statement. “EQV strives to help each student develop a sense of identity within the Episcopal community by promoting unity, passion and school spirit.”