Attending: Choate Rosemary Hall
Hometown: Litchfield, Connecticut
Rumsey was a familiar name in Harper’s family before she became a student herself. Both of her older brothers had attended, and when she joined the eighth grade class, she arrived knowing several students she had grown up with. Those connections helped ease the transition from her previous school, but it didn’t take long for her to branch out as a student, athlete, and leader.
Coming from a smaller Montessori school where she felt she didn’t always fit in, Harper found herself making friends in every aspect of her Rumsey experience. “There’s such a diverse amount of people that you can really find your people,” she says. She found it easy to connect with students beyond her immediate group of friends, whether in classes, the dining hall, or athletics.
Athletics played a big role in her student experience. As a soccer, basketball, and lacrosse player, she became captain of all three sports during her ninth grade year. Those roles gave her opportunities to grow as a leader and brought her closer to teammates she hadn’t known as well before. “Sports have always been my happy place,” she says. “It really builds a community and you make so many new friends.”
Academically, Rumsey introduced her to a new level of structure and responsibility. Coming from a school that had no traditional grading system, studying and time management were skills she had to develop. With the support of her teachers, advisor, and her friends she discovered strategies that worked for her. Harper expressed that being able to see her grades and progress is what motivates her success.
Looking back, she sees the biggest change in her confidence. “I’ve become a lot more extroverted because I always knew I would have someone there.” As she starts her journey as a boarding student at Choate, she hopes to create that same feeling for others by being outgoing and making the people around her feel welcome.
