Knightly News

Episcopal prepared me. As a member of the Episcopal community, you’ve likely heard that slogan. You may even ask yourself, prepared for what? Episcopal alumni are artists, researchers, CEOs, teachers, coaches and everything in between. They are prepared for these roles and for lives of meaning and purpose. Recent grads are also attending a range of universities, including highly selective institutions. Class of 2019 graduate Douglas Robins is in his first semester at Princeton and already he can appreciate the preparation he received in high school.

“If I have to think about how Episcopal Prepared Me, the first thing that I can really say has prepared me is the quality of the teachers that I had,” says Robins. “Because the teachers that taught me are not only great teachers but experts in their field, I was prepared to be able to come to college and have these deep profound discussions that exist beyond the readings and beyond the textbook. These are conversations that can only be had with people who have an intimate understanding of the material as experts, and the teachers at Episcopal have pushed me to be able to interact with experts, students, and material in that way.”

In speaking with Episcopal alumni, they all share the same sentiment of preparation. As a storyboard artist, Miguel Jiron ’02 credits Episcopal with helping him develop critical thinking skills. He remembers discussing a range of topics with his classmates and teachers and how those discussions helped him think for himself and find his own voice. Megan Escott ’14 says the emphasis on critical thinking taught her to synthesize her thoughts. The focus on independence also gave her the skills necessary to be responsible for her own lab and her own experiments while at Tulane University.

From his room in Princeton, New Jersey, Robins realized the significance of the Episcopal Honors Seminar. This semester he is enrolled in two seminar courses. “I am taking a seminar this semester about poverty with a world-renowned professor who won the Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant,” he says. “He is kind of something of a celebrity and it makes people intimidated to speak up during our seminar discussions. Because of the practice that I have had in sharing the way that I see the world and having these conversations across both years of Seminar and Thesis, I am not afraid of contributing. Learning how to be in a seminar is hard (especially if your first time is with someone this decorated) and because of the education that I received at Episcopal, there was no learning curve.”

Episcopal faculty and staff encourage students to explore their passions throughout their time as a student. The ability to work around multiple commitments helps students learn to prioritize and manage their time. Robins says juggling a range of interests throughout high school helped him know immediately how to structure his time once he moved on to university. Class of 1988 graduate, Chris King’s Episcopal experience also required him to learn to manage his time wisely. King worked long hours while attending Episcopal which made high school personally challenging. He says such an experience helped him understand what it means to have high standards. Years later he sees a common thread between his family, the Cajun Army with which he volunteers and the Episcopal Honor Code.

Not all lessons learned at Episcopal take place in the classroom. An education such as the one received at Episcopal, pushes students outside of their comfort zone. For graduate Kris Jackson ’17, the experience altered the trajectory of his life. Kris was not originally a runner, yet he graduated as a state champion cross country athlete. He found family among his teammates and among those involved in efforts such as U-Knighted Club. Mike Diodene ’99 remembers the lessons learned as a member of the Knights football and track and field teams – work harder, study longer and bring value to your team. By drawing on these lessons, he earned a spot on the LSU football team and went on to a successful military career.

As graduates such as Jimmy Williams ’97, Clare Crespo ’86 and Ashley Fabre ’02 reflect on the preparation they received at Episcopal, it is comforting to see that that level of preparation remains the same with recent graduates like Robins benefiting from a similar experience. “I could go on and on about my time at Episcopal but there is no better way to sum it up than by saying that Episcopal prepared me,” says Robins. “My transition to college has been exponentially easier than I anticipated because I have been getting ready for college and life for the 4 years in upper school. I truly received the best possible education that I could have asked for and I can say hands down that the best decision my parents ever made for me was sending me to Episcopal.”

As Robins forges ahead at Princeton, it will be exciting to see what’s in store for him. No doubt he will be one of the many successful Episcopal alumni who return to campus to share the story of how the school prepared them to be the next generation of leaders. Preparation is a key component of the Episcopal mission and ministry. It is central to the Episcopal experience.

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