Hill School Chapel Talks

Turning My Struggles Into Strengths:  A story of how I changed my life for the better after a major setback.

Community, commitment, and renewal as we welcome the spring term.

Monster in My Mind: My story with obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of survival. OCD has been integrated into the day-to-day language, with many people using OCD as a synonym for adjectives such as clean or perfectionistic. Through education and understanding, the stigma must be broken. 

Live Life Now: Growing up different from everyone else isn’t the ideal life. There are many ups and downs that come from it but also valuable life lessons you receive from it. You never know what someone is going through from an outsider's perspective so be grateful for what you have even if it may not be the “perfect” or “normal” life. Everyone has moments in their lives that impact them and sometimes it is hard to see how lucky you are when you are really struggling. No matter what, keep pushing and never give up. Live your life in the now.  

The Power of Faith: February 1st, 2023 was the night I realized I needed to change my mindset. I finally realized that I was human. The past four years have been some of the worst years of my life, riddled with family emergencies, complicated friendships, and health issues. Yet somehow this place of stress and hardship has become a place I don’t want to leave. Somehow, even as I pushed myself towards burnout, I have learned to love myself. And that is the power of faith. My message is simple, love yourself, make the most of your time here, and have faith.

My Bella and MK. The footsteps you’ve followed and the voice that encourages you. A speech on the two individuals who played a key role in my development, as a friend, leader, and person.

What I Really Learned at The Hill School: Although The Hill School is known globally for its academics, the lessons it has taught me have not been in the classroom. But rather have been through the experiences of meeting my new family and all the memories that come with it, good or bad.

Looking Through a Lens in Black and White: Growing up and learning in two different environments can be hard. Self-identity is one of the hardest things in life to discover. Wondering if you fit in or belong, is a thought prevalent in many minds. It may seem as though you live in two different worlds until you make them become one. Struggling with self-identity is not an uncommon occurrence, but dealing with it and using it to help you grow is what makes it important.

Finding a Voice that Belongs to You: Your voice can be used to bring happiness to the people around you. However, if you are not careful, it might turn into a weapon that hurts the people that love you. I reflect on times in my life when I have used my voice as both positive and negative forces and the lessons I’ve learned from it. How will you use your voice?

The Double-Story “g”: A story of lowercase letters, typesetting, and my meticulous future plans.

How I Met My Brother: Listening can be one of the most difficult concepts for the world to grasp. Throughout my talk, I share my own personal experience rebuilding my relationship with my older brother through the idea of listening and the power it holds.

Upside Down Living: A recent housing trend in the UK called “upside down living” proposes a different layout of one’s home in order to maximize the benefits it offers, ultimately making life happier and more balanced. If we were to apply this in a spiritual sense to how we live, what would change? How could rearranging our focus on the inside lead to a fuller, more genuine way of being? 

Passengers on the Bullet Train: In the bullet train we call life, the people we meet are all passengers who come and go. In this electronic age, confirmation biases limit us from taking in different perspectives and listening to the other side of the story. In life, this journey without a destination, what are the relationships that shaped your value? In this divided 21^st century, how can we build more bridges for one another and turn hate into love?

Grow Through What You Go Through: Mistakes, setbacks, and scars seem like things that should destroy us, and we should avoid them. In truth, these are what fuel us to be better and lead us to find success and ultimately where we are supposed to be. 

Privilege: Your past and your circumstantial privilege and upbringing, along with present hardships do not define what you do with your future. Make yourself a student of the game, or someone who is always looking for little ways to improve, because in doing so, you are able to better yourself and those around you. Strive for success in your dreams and goals no matter the condition, as you never know where life will take you through your failures and achievements.

Change is not easy, but necessary. A reflection on homesickness and how to overcome it. Finding the good in situations can change your entire perspective. 

The importance of Veterans Day and embracing change. Veterans Day holds a special place in my heart. As a military kid, I have been presented with continuous change throughout my life. Instead of looking at the negative, it can be beneficial to look at the positive and grow fromit. 

Being Black and Blue

How the relationships and family community of Hill was very impactful and came to light after hearing the tragic news of my grandfather.

It’s Only a Game; Some Life Lessons, Some Good, Some Bad, Drawn from my Life in Athletics: In this year that marks 50 years of Title IX, 50 years of Yale field hockey, and 100 years of U.S.A. field hockey, as well as the 50th anniversary of my own high school graduation and my 24^th year at Hill and thus my 24^th year involved in Hill Athletics, I want to reflect on some of what I learned from my experiences, and try to put the role of athletics in American life, American education, and American culture in some perspective.