Theresa Isadora Alves De Oliveira '24

Waracaju, Brazil

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

I like to be connected to political activism in a multitude of ways. When I came to the U.S., that motivated me to replicate [here at Taft] past successful projects from my home country. For arts and sports, Taft has been allowing me to explore interests I never knew I had. In Brazil, we're not usually given many opportunities to discover new talents in high school, so what I've been doing at Taft is attempting to find these undiscovered pursuits.

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

Students and faculty are generally willing to help in any way they can, and it's really motivating for young people who are trying to create positive change to know that they are not alone in their mission.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

Although there are certainly barriers at Taft yet to be removed for women to enjoy equal rights to men, just like in any segment of modern society, being a female leader at Taft shows me that as long as there are people willing to fight for equality, there is hope for a better future. At Taft, I can, as a female leader, enjoy my hope for a future with more equity.

Activities

Girl Up, Interact Club, Model United Nations co-head, Community Service Board, Debate Club, Amnesty International Club, Somos Taft, Political Awareness Club, Democrats Club, theater, yoga

Whitney Bartol '22

Fairfield, Connecticut

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

I found myself drawn to roles where I could employ my passion for business, organization, and collaboration. I have loved being a part of the Taft Financial Society, as it has continuously pushed me but always been exciting and intellectually stimulating. I learn so much from my own work, the passionate board members, and our amazing faculty advisors. From playing on sports teams to working on the yearbook staff, my favorite activities have been the ones where I get to work with both students and faculty. Working in a collaborative group is what pushes me to become most involved, hardworking, and passionate to make a difference at our school.

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

Joining the Varsity Golf team last spring and being voted on as captain, I [was] dedicated to making the team more cohesive, motivated, and most importantly, fun. With a team so small, I worked to bond our players, and we became extremely supportive of one another.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

Being a female leader has been an experience of extremely hard work but even larger reward. I remember being a freshman at Taft and seeing that many of the student clubs and organizations we all look up to consistently had a male head, making it hard for me to imagine I could obtain such a significant position one day. After exploring different opportunities, I have found myself to be in multiple leadership positions that I feel lucky to have. I have been granted the opportunities to not only develop my own intellectual mind and life skills, but have also been able to work alongside so many other amazing leaders in our community. I feel honored that I am in a position to truly make a difference at the school I love so much, and to be able to develop organizations and activities that I know will have a lasting impact on future Tafties. Overall, although I have had my challenges in the past four years, I am proud to say that I am a female leader at Taft and that I can be someone that girls can look at and know that it is very possible for them to pursue their own passions at Taft, and to make the mark that they want to.

Activities

Taft Financial Society vice president; Amnesty International Club treasurer; Yearbook senior section editor; Girls' Math Team head; Varsity Squash; Girls' Golf team two-year captain

Elise Taylor '24

Waterbury, Connecticut

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

Being a female leader at Taft in 2022 is redefining everything. Redefining philanthropy. Redefining feminism and who is [a feminist]. Redefining how we conduct political conversations. Redefining Taft to make a more inclusive place for all. But most importantly, to hold true to our motto and encourage others to implement it into their daily lives.

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

With my dad as the executive director of a nonprofit and my mother the chair of a community foundation that awards millions of dollars in grants to nonprofits, my life has consisted of philanthropy—both its importance and its impact. As I applied for the the Red Rhino Fund during the final months of my freshman year, I hoped to explore what philanthropy meant to me, and I learned it is to embody the motto of Taft—Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret—but also to redefine how both myself and other members of the community view philanthropy. To view philanthropists not exclusive to Bill Gates and Mackenzie Scott, but rather [any of us] as we are all capable of becoming philanthropists right now. Both my background and identifiers of being a young Black woman have influenced much of my life. Arriving on campus in fall of 2021 (after being remote for a year), I realized the work of equality was largely focused on race and such disparities. The social change from the summer of 2020 was not exclusive to race, but rather a time for us to examine equality. Girl Up [helped] create our own social change within the Taft community by defining feminism—what it is and why we should all be feminists. I became vice president of Girl Up because I am a young woman and thus a feminist, and am willing to work toward upholding the ideas of feminism for a more perfect Taft.

Activities

Co-chair Grants Committee and Diversity Committee, Red Rhino Fund;
Taft Ethics Club founder and co-head; Taft Girl Up vice president; Global Leadership Institute (GLI) cohort member; Mosaics affinity group; Black Alliance Club; Girls' Third Squash; Girls' Thirds Tennis

Claire Roberts '23

Watertown, Connecticut

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

Characteristic of the Taft experience but highlighted by the COVID pandemic, we sometimes feel as though we're at Taft for a short time before being thrust into leadership positions that we aren't yet experts in. Thanks to Taft's trust and support in offering me leadership opportunities, I have found that being a leader is not a mark of being a complete expert, but rather the ultimate learning experience. Being plunged into this unknown forces me to continue to grow while becoming the representation that I look for in my community.

Activities

Co-head Masque and Dagger; Gender and Sexuality Alliance co-head; Papyrus staff writer; Alliance Coalition representative; Boys' Crew team coxswain; I-Block teacher and assistant curriculum designer; theater program

Nicole Balbuena '22

College Point, New York

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

Because I love it. Every group or sport that I am involved in is a reflection of something I love or value in my life, and being able to share my experiences and my endeavors through all these roles in a community that I love is extremely important to me and rewarding at the same time!

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

The best part about being involved is getting to know my peers and those in my community at a more personal level. Six hundred students doesn't seem like a lot, but when you think about how many times you interact with each person, you realize you don't know them the way you think you do. Through my extracurriculars, I have had the opportunity to get to know students that I would rarely cross paths with and earned a friendship along the way!

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

It is exciting! It comes with a lot of responsibility and dedication but it inevitably is a lot of fun, and there is always a lot of support from those around you!

Activities

Co-Head Monitor; dormitory monitor; Community Service Board co-head; peer mentor co-head; student mentor; I-Block student teacher; Global Leadership Institute; Somos Taft co-head; UNICEF Club, Spanish Speaking Club, STEP Team; Dance IV; Girls' JV Volleyball captain; Girls' JV Basketball captain; Girls' JV Lacrosse

Sadie Kargman '22

New York, New York

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

I have always had the two passions of writing and giving back. In each of my roles on campus, I am able to explore my interests, while simultaneously serving my greater community.

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

I have been a coxswain on the Boys' Crew team for the past three years. In this position, I worked with many male peers I did not previously know but who have become close teammates and great friends.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

I love being a female leader at Taft. In my four years on campus, the definition of a female leader has definitely changed, becoming more powerful, recognized, and inclusive, allowing me and the community to grow for the better in many ways.

Activities

School Monitor, Senior Class Committee/Overall Student Government (school monitorship), Vogelstein dorm monitor; Papyrus editor-in-chief; Red Rhino Fund vice president; Taft's Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Program co-president; Boys' Crew team coxswain

Jada Dawkins '22

Brooklyn, New York

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

All of the activities I do on campus allow me to reach out to others and learn more about people I usually would not interact with outside of my own friends group.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

Being a female leader at Taft is sometimes challenging when your male counterparts do not see your efforts in the same light that you do, but I know that I am helping to make Taft a better place. I know a lot of girl power is needed to make this campus run smoothly, and I am happy to be a part of it.

Activities

Mosaic affinity group leader; Admissions Council and Taft tour guide; I-Block teacher; lower-school dorm monitor; Girls' Varsity Ice Hockey team manager

Eliza Ford '22

Middlebury, Connecticut

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

I have always been excited to be a part of a team each semester [as well as being a captain for two sports]. The teams that I have played and worked with every season have always been a motivator to keep working hard in each sport.

Collegium and Hydrox have been two of my favorite groups. For Day Student Council, I wanted to be able to represent the people that I was always a part of.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

Being a female leader at Taft can be a difficult job because you are looking to lead or make a change to standards that have been in place for a long time and emphasize a different perspective of life at Taft. In athletics, one of my main goals has been to grow the support of female athletes and teams in our community. Since freshman year I have always spoken out about the differing support levels between male and female athletics, and over the past four years the community has changed and the support for all teams and sports has experienced so much growth.

Being a female leader at Taft is an amazing opportunity to show your commitment to whatever you feel is important and what to dedicate yourself to. If I had attended another school I would not have had the opportunity to advocate for myself and others in the ways that I have learned to do through experience. Taft does an excellent job of creating ample opportunities to become involved in something and find your purpose, and maybe grow to be a leader for it.

Activities

Tri-varsity athlete (soccer, basketball, and crew); Basketball team tri-captain; Crew cocaptain; Collegium Musicum (alto section leader and head chorister); Hydrox tri-head; Day Student Council co-president; Political Awareness Club co-head; Congdon adjunct day student dormitory monitor; EcoMon (media team, social media and online presence)

Mina Xiao '23

Beijing, China

Why did you decide to be part of the specific groups or activities you're involved in?

At such a prestigious and long-standing institution, being able to create an enduring impact is powerful in itself, illuminating the spirit of Non ut sibi. The idea that inspires and pushes me is that instead of waiting for others to enhance my experience, maybe I can be the one to influence change.

What do you enjoy most about being a leader at Taft?

It's hard to contain the pride as I recount the events I have participated in to make Taft a more inclusive and collaborative place. Celebrating Chinese New Year with dumpling making night at HONG, seeing people dance to the music, and hearing the enthusiastic discussions on Environmental Action Day flood out classroom doors—it's the best reward I could ask for. It is a crucial part of my feeling of belonging and integrating into the community. I think it is in attending these activities where we fall in love with the Taft community together, little by little.

What's it like to be a female leader at Taft?

It is exhilarating, thrilling, fulfilling, yet truly full of obstacles every day. However, this problem-solving enriches my global perspective. Being a female leader at Taft has allowed me to identify myself in the context of the global society and articulate my voice upon an elevated platform. It helps me comprehend the marked power of my voice as a Chinese woman and to interlock my identity among all the diversity here. J

Activities

EcoMon; GLI scholar; HONG Chinese alliance co-head; lead of the musical; head of Red Ink; Pan-Asian Affinity Group secretary