Class of 2017
Academy
Williamsburg
Celine Wardrop
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”
- Marianne Williamson
In one of my first days of class as a freshman, Mr. Hailstone shared this quote with everyone and it has stuck with me since. As I have grown and learned over the past four years, I have come to realize more and more that our purpose in life is not to compete with others and try to “out-achieve” them, but to use our strength, talents, and ability to encourage others to step into their power and realize their potential for greatness. That is leadership.
A little about me…
I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and moved to Northern Kentucky just after I turned thirteen where I have lived since. I have three brothers (two older, one younger) and a sister-in-law.
I have played the violin for the last five years which has been an incredible experience and taught me a lot about myself, as well as given me access to some incredible mentors. I am very passionate about writing and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Williamsburg Academy online newspaper, The Burger Gazette, my junior year.
I also traveled to Berlin, Germany this last year over the summer, staying with a host family, taking language classes, and experiencing the culture. It was one of the hardest months of my life (homesickness is real,) but it taught me a lot of valuable lessons which will help me throughout my life.
Where I’m headed…
After I graduate I am off to Northern Kentucky University to major in Psychology and later study for a Ph.D. in neuroscience. I am also taking my second international trip this fall which will be hiking to the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.
If I could summarize all that I have learned in the last four years it would be
that our lives are an accumulation of every single day, and because of this every day matters. Every day we have to make the choice to be happy, or at least to work towards it. Every day we have to make the choice to love ourselves and those around us despite our perceived imperfections, annoying habits, or quirks. Every day we must chose to stand up and be a leader. We cannot look into the future and hope that at some point we will be happy. The only time we have is now and we must use it to the best of our abilities.
