During the Admissions process, Episcopal was billed as the best possible college prep option available. As a lifelong public school student, while hesitant, I was inclined to believe the same of EHS after my campus visit. What I didn’t realize at the time was that EHS would be more than college prep. It would be life prep.

When I reported to The High School in 1993 I did not realize until that time that EHS welcomed its first female students just two years prior. I also did not realize that there were so few girls of color in the student body of 400 until that time. Fortunately, many faculty and staff members in the EHS community welcomed me with open arms. They encouraged me to explore normal issues of self-discovery in an environment that would not traditionally welcome an African- American, lesbian girl with no legacy ties to EHS. I still enjoy relationships with many of the faculty members who helped ‘grow me up’ to this day.

It was at Episcopal that I was first called ‘an angry black woman.’ It was at Episcopal that I saw my first confederate flag in real life. But it was also at Episcopal that I learned to navigate the world at large – living and upholding the Honor Code, attending almost daily chapel services, conversing at seated dinners, and being in dress code (my first pair of khaki pants) were invaluable experiences that I call on even now.

To this day, I have no idea how or why the EHS community elected this ‘outsider’ as the first African-American, female Head Monitor. However, I will always be indebted to my peers and faculty members who entrusted me with the responsibility and opportunity. While my experience at EHS was challenging and imperfect, I will always be a proud Episcopal High School Old Girl, because EHS continues to help me in life every day.