Beaver Reflections:
I graduated in 2011 and I was a lifer. I came from a big charter school so it was a really big adjustment to be in much smaller classes. I was very lucky during my time at Beaver because in middle school I had a black female teacher every year, Sharon Mathieu. She doesn’t know it but the impact that she had on all of us was amazing. She would tell it like it was to black students and white students and she always kept it real. Every day was like an adventure with her. I was lucky enough to have her for 7th and 8th grade and she shaped a lot of who I am. Also, Mrs.Tucker was the head of the middle school when I was there. I always say I want to be just like her when I grow up. She’s also a family friend. One thing that I liked particularly about my grade was that you could be a history scholar and also be a star on the soccer field. Or could do soccer and also be in plays and be really good at them. We had a lot of kids who were multi-talented and that was accepted. You could be more than just one thing.

What is #happeningnow in your life:
I went to Emory University in Atlanta and graduated with a degree in psychology. I moved back home to Boston for some time and was doing temp work while I figured out a move to New York City. Once I got there I was working at restaurants as a hostess and got to meet a lot of cool people like Pharrell, Whoopi Goldberg, and a bunch of other actors and actresses. I’ve had some pretty cool jobs here in New York City. I worked for Mary Kate and Ashley for some time, as a receptionist at their fashion firm. Initially, it was really exciting because of the childhood nostalgia, but after I saw them for the first time, they just became Mary-Kate and Ashley. While I was working temp jobs in New York, I was also looking to find a job in school admissions and in 2017 I finally got my big break. I was part of opening up the Winchendon satellite school in New York. The Winchendon was initially a boarding school in Western Massachusetts and they decided to have another campus in New York, so I started working as an admissions assistant and it was a really cool opportunity and experience to be a part of starting a school. I’ve now been working there for four years and am the Assistant Director of Admissions. Having a graduation on Zoom this past year was probably one of the weirdest things I’ll ever have to do.

“This year has really taught me to slow down and take inventory of myself, whether that is health-wise, job-wise, community, or partnership with people.”

– Amirah Mahdi ’11

Advice to current Beaver Students:
Take advantage of all that comes your way because Beaver has so many opportunities and resources to do amazing things. My other piece of advice is if you need help, please reach out.