Attending: St. Mark’s School
Hometown: Pembroke, Bermuda
Thomas arrived at Rumsey from Bermuda in eighth grade and he wasn’t sure what to expect from a boarding school in a different country. Almost immediately, he found himself surrounded by people and experiences that were entirely new. Those connections made boarding life feel natural. Thomas says he never really experienced the homesickness he had expected. Living in the dorm gave him the chance to form friendships quickly, turning Rumsey into his second home.
Living alongside classmates from around the world opened Thomas to perspectives he had never encountered growing up in Bermuda. “I never really anticipated that I was going to live across from a guy who lives in China while living with a guy who’s from Mexico,” he says. “The world’s a big place, but it feels like at Rumsey it shrunk at times.”
Thomas stepped outside of his comfort zone by trying lacrosse and football for the first time. After becoming the captain of the football team his senior year, he credits his teammates and coaches for encouraging him to try something new. That willingness to stretch himself carried into the classroom, where Rumsey’s greater academic expectations pushed him to show effort in his work. “Being here made me actually work a lot harder and want to work hard,” he says. Thomas felt that his strongest point of growth during his time here was in the classroom.
Moving on from Rumsey to St. Mark’s School, Thomas left Rumsey prepared with a strong work ethic, newfound passions, and friendships that changed the way he sees the world around him. He hopes to “start off strong” by bringing the same efforts to his new campus.
