Sally Park (Class of 2019)

Currently studying business (marketing and finance) at New York University Shanghai with dreams and aspirations to spread empathy and serve others.

Growing up, I was a very timid and fearful kid. I was afraid of talking and all the more I would never dare to raise my hand in the classroom. Doubtful, insecure, indecisive, I was all of the above. But during my time at Geneva (K4–12th grade), that is, fourteen years out of my seventeen years of living, somewhere along the way, I realized that I had no reason to be afraid. I was surrounded by encouraging friends and teachers who wanted to satisfy my wonder: a community.

I did not merely learn how to take a derivative, how to calculate velocities, or how to translate French. I learned so much more: how to grow, how to care, and how to love. The teachers did not teach me how to succeed and rise to the top. They taught me how to help others and, more importantly, learn from others. But by doing this my community taught me to love learning. Without the support and encouragement I received from the Geneva community, I never could have gained the courage to run for leadership positions, found clubs, or start my own photography business.

However, looking back on the entirety of my Geneva education, I realize it is this that I truly took to heart, what I will continue to carry in my heart—Mr. Jain telling our Scientific Revolution class the four Ws: work, worship, wisdom, and wonder. I learned how to work, both for myself and for others. I learned how to worship. I learned the difference between knowledge and wisdom. And my wonder was not satisfied but multiplied throughout high school. My curiosity of how large earth really is—not just the physical size of the space in which God placed us but my wonder for other cultures, other people, other lifestyles grew to measures I cannot count. My craving and wonder for what this world holds for me cannot be satisfied, and I am beyond thankful for that new way of seeing.

Having learned and applied those four Ws is how I define my classical education. And I can gladly say that it has more than prepared me for my future.

I was once a very timid and fearful kid but now that fear is no longer present. I can look back on my high school education with satisfaction and on my future without hesitation.