Thursday's Child: Student Stories
Anna ’23, Student Body President
Anna is a legacy student at Girard, continuously enrolled since the 1st grade. She has seen many changes during that time, but one thing had remained constant.
“It’s the feeling of community,” she says. “I’ve always felt the love at Girard, from my teachers, residential advisors, and fellow students. It’s a bond that will last a lifetime.”
As a senior, Anna thinks back to when she was in elementary school, watching the 12th grade students walk down the aisle in Chapel wearing their signature blue blazers. Now, she’s at the front of the line, setting the example for those that look up to her.
It was a long journey for Anna to get to Girard. Her parents fled Liberia in 1999 with the eruption of civil war and took refuge in Ghana, where Anna’s older sister, Thelma (a 2019 graduate and track star) was born. The young family emigrated to Minnesota, where Anna was the first in her family to be born in America. Cousins in Philadelphia happened to attend Girard College, and the family relocated to Darby, PA with the goal of providing their children the best education possible.
Anna quickly adjusted to boarding school and has felt the benefit of the individual attention she has received throughout the years.
“I feel like everyone knows me,” she says. “And I can get the one-on-one support I need.”
Although much of her high school career was impacted by the pandemic, Anna stayed engaged in Student Council, serving as a class representative before holding the Vice President and now President role. She embraced her role as a leader, keeping her classmates connected and co-founding a student social justice organization called Black Teens Takeover in the wake of the George Floyd killing.
Now that she’s in her final year, Anna is focused on the path ahead. She has worked hard on her college preparation, including attending a class at Community College of Philadelphia through the dual-enrollment program Girard students enjoy. She’s planning to attend a historically black college like Florida Memorial or North Carolina A&T, where she will study to become a nurse and make a difference in the fight for reproductive justice.
“I’ve been lucky to attend a school like Girard that reflects my cultural experience,” Anna says, “and I want to continue to embrace that in college. I’ve also learned a lot about speaking up for what I believe in and making a difference in society.”
Anna has fulfilled the promise of her family’s courage and sacrifice, and her time at Girard has made her a leader, a scholar, and a champion for social justice. She continues to shape and build the Girard community, leaving a legacy for others to follow.
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Your support creates life-changing opportunities for students like Anna. She’s working with her peers on Student Council and school administration to design a new student center, develop new partnerships for extracurricular activities, and activate our community’s resources to help others. Invest in her vision and her leadership with a gift today.