The summer of 2020 was another chance for Ravenscroft students to exercise agility and resilience. With summer camps, internships and immersion opportunities canceled or changed, students reimagined how to make the most of their summer experiences. For some, it was a chance to hone skills in a personal passion; for others, it was a chance to explore new avenues of interest. 

Here are a few highlights shared with us by Upper School Ravens.

Lilja Gudmundsson ’23: Third-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do

This summer I tested for my third-degree black belt at Lee Brothers Tae Kwon Do (TKD). I have been practicing TKD for the past 10 years, and it is something I really enjoy since it is different from other sports. A black-belt testing is a huge event, because it takes years of training and is the time where one can show cultivated skills by creating self-defense routines, kicks, forms and weapons (such as nunchucks, staff, etc.). The best part of this experience was that I tested with my brother, Nik ’20.

David Kim ’23: AwesomeMath Camp

This summer, I attended the AwesomeMath camp virtually. Due to Covid-19, the original design for the program this summer was reduced to two classes each weekday for three weeks, two-and-a-half hours each. The two classes I chose to enroll in were the Counting Strategies class and the Algebra 2.5 courses. I chose to enroll in math classes this summer not only to supplement school material but also to give me an advantage for the AMC competitions, national math competitions which Ravenscroft students are able to compete in every February. I was especially motivated to take the course because of Ravenscroft’s commitment to offering opportunities such as the AMC and the Duke Math Meet, as well as my teachers’ eagerness to see me improve my skills. I am thankful for the opportunity and the teachers who challenged me to participate.

Clarke Haywood ’21: Sports Management Institute, Wake Forest University

This summer I participated in the Sports Management Institute hosted by Wake Forest University. I am interested in sports and felt this was a great opportunity to enhance my knowledge of the business aspect of sports. Because of COVID-19, it was changed to an online experience. The program covered a variety of topics within the sports-marketing industry, including fan experience, hospitality and problem solving. A fun part of the week was working on a group project to create a better fan experience for the WFU soccer program. Our guest speakers included college athletic directors, sports broadcasters and members of the Wake Forest Sports Marketing Department. They shared stories of their experiences and lessons they learned along the way in their profession. It was a fun experience and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in sports marketing.

Adrian Tong ’21: Internship, Asian American News Network

Asian American News Network is a startup news organization that reports on topics such as politics and culture, with the goal of bringing Asian cultural values and accomplishments into the mainstream. I got involved with the network when I realized that Asian Americans were barely mentioned in any mainstream media. During my time with AANN, I’ve been able to learn from political leaders, and I’ve really enjoyed learning to conduct interviews and write articles about politics. 

Sophia Toback ’21: National Security Language Initiative for Youth Virtual Summer Intensive

When I won a full scholarship to go to Russia, I was overjoyed with the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the language. But my trip was canceled due to the virus, and the foreign adventure of my dreams turned into a six-week online course. Although this was a massive disappointment, it was also an opportunity to exercise resilience and fully immerse myself in the Russian language from my bedroom.  

Every day my Russian classes lasted from 10 a.m.-noon, in addition to homework, weekly check-ins and culture class. I got to speak and interact with 15+ guest speakers of various nationalities who shared their experiences of living, working and traveling in Russia and Eastern Europe. Between the multitude of perspectives from the guest speakers and spending time every day with my Russian teacher Valerii, it became clear to me that Eastern European culture and our culture are very different and quite similar at the same time. 

Although the actual language class was only a sliver of my day, I allowed myself to be entirely consumed by the learning processes. Together with my new friends from the NSLI-Y program, we made it our mission to not only become friends but become a team in the learning process. Every day we had group Zoom calls to practice our new skills. We watched Russian movies and then discussed what we understood or what we thought of the cinematography. As the weeks passed, our friendships strengthened, and our team group chat was always full of a new Russian meme, story, book suggestion or movie title. 

When I was not practicing with my new friends, I had the same goal: total Russian immersion. My quest to achieve this goal began on the first day of summer with labels, as I labeled items in my house with their Russian names. Phase II of my immersion took place in the kitchen. I tried some of the most iconic Russian and eastern European dishes, and now I can confidently say that borscht is not bad. I also dabbled in Russian art, painted stacking dolls, read books in Russian and listened to popular music by Russia’s large community of Soundcloud rappers. 

My Russian program has ended, and my labels have fallen off almost every item in my house, but I can confidently say my love and desire to learn Russian still remains strong, and with the support of my new friends, I plan to keep working towards fluency.