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Sara Xing '17: Episcopal Prepared Me

September 18th, 2020


ReUKnighted: Sara Xing

Episcopal prepared me.
What does that really mean? One 2017 Episcopal graduate recently reached out to help define that motto for others.

In 2017, Sarah Xing was a graduating Knight. Having relocated to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina, Sarah attended Episcopal beginning in the fourth grade. Early on, she found members of the Episcopal community to be quite welcoming and she quickly found her place among friends. Over the course of her educational journey, Sarah was a member of the Robotics Club and the Astronomy Club, and she took numerous AP and Honors courses. She quickly acclimated to the Episcopal teaching style, the challenging content and the pace of the lessons; so much so that her eventual transition to Tulane University was seamless.

ReUKnighted: Sara XingSarah remembers hearing the phrase - Episcopal prepared me. “I didn’t know what that meant,” she says. However, once she arrived at Tulane it became very clear. “For me it means just the structure of the classes,” says Sarah. “Episcopal is structured like Tulane so it was easy to transition and easier to keep up and not get behind.” She says her university professors taught in much the same way as her AP Episcopal teachers. However, while her Tulane classmates seemed to be overwhelmed, Sarah’s own experience was much different. “I didn’t feel stressed,” she says.

Incredibly, after only three years, Sarah graduated from Tulane in May with two degrees. During this short time, she also made time to study abroad in Stockholm, Sweden. She says friends are shocked when she tells them about her accomplishments, and her family is quite proud. With one degree in economics and another in computer science, Sarah is now the youngest student currently pursuing a master’s degree in business analytics. She will complete that master’s in May, thus earning three degrees in only four years, as she works toward her dream of becoming an analyst at a tech firm.

Episcopal College Counselor Shandi Fazely remains in touch with Sarah and says it is not often that a college student completes their studies so quickly. In fact, Tulane reported an undergraduate six-year graduation rate of 86% in 2019. The site reports “the graduation rate is calculated as the percentage of first-year, full-time students who enrolled in the institution in a Fall term and then graduated from the institution within six years.” Fazely, who once described Sarah as “an eternal optimist with an indefatigable work ethic” and as someone who “knows how to succeed and has prepared herself well for the college environment,” congratulates Sarah on her recent achievements. 

ReUKnighted: Sara Xing

ReUKnighted: Sara Xing

As Sarah looks back on her time at Episcopal, she appreciates the challenging academics that prepared her and the community/family feeling. She particularly enjoyed the school’s Homecoming activities, the community building events and LAUNCH Day. Now, as her brother Robert prepares to graduate from Episcopal this year, Sarah offers this advice to the Class of 2021. “It may not be the most normal senior year but make the most out of it because you only get senior year once,” she says. It is great to see that in only three years’ time, Sarah has made the most of her Episcopal preparation. It will be exciting to see how far she goes.
 
Are you an Episcopal graduate? Share how Episcopal prepared you in the comments section below or contact us at [email protected]. ​

 

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Posted in the categories All, Episcopal Alumni.