Attending: Deerfield Academy
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Mickey still remembers the first time she visited Rumsey. It was January, and snow began falling, a rare sight for someone growing up in Shanghai. She was equally struck by the students who waved and said hello as she toured campus. “I loved the feeling of the community,” she recalled. “I thought, this is my school.”
Mickey entered Fifth Form as a boarding student and initially enrolled in ESL classes. Three years later, she graduated as an Honors English student and a member of Rumsey’s highest-level math class. In Algebra II, her teacher regularly moved beyond the textbook, introducing proofs and early precalculus concepts. “At Rumsey, you can learn so much more than what is in the textbook,” Mickey said. “You learn from your teachers, your peers, group projects, presentations, from everything.”
Rumsey also introduced Mickey to athletics. She had never played a sport before arriving on campus, but went on to make varsity volleyball and varsity tennis. Along the way, she tried skiing, recreational tennis, and other activities that were entirely new to her.
Her interests stretched across campus. Mickey performed in Orchestra, Chorus, Blue Dog Voices, and the drama program. She also founded the Ink and Imagination Club to showcase student writing and artwork. Through Rumsey’s Social and Community Leadership class, she helped lead a faculty and staff appreciation project that brought Upper and Lower School students together to recognize the adults working throughout the School.
Mickey is now continuing directly into her sophomore year at Deerfield Academy. She leaves Rumsey prepared for the academic challenge and comfortable stepping into unfamiliar experiences. “I gained confidence and started thinking about what I could do for the community,” she said. “I didn’t want to simply be part of it. I wanted to help make it better.”
