A Summer of Discovery

Rory Jones ’24 was skeptical — what does the drawing of a leaf have to do with architecture? It was the second day of her architectural design and sustainability summer program at Virginia Tech, and her project for the day was to render the details of a leaf on an 18”-by-20” sheet of paper. She loved art — it was one of the aspects of architecture that appealed to her the most — but this stumped her. Something clicked, though, when she was reminded to focus on the details.

“First, I kept thinking, ‘This is not architecture,’” Rory explains. “But then I started thinking of the specifics. It became an exercise in detail. We had to think not about the idea of how something should be — in this case a leaf — but instead we had to focus on what the thing actually is, all its details and little moving parts, and try to bring that to life.” The minutiae matters; the beauty is in the specificity.

This was the first in a series of revelations for her. Granted a portion of the Mary Parker Moncure Vaden Endowment for Citizenship and the Arts, Rory was able to explore her interest in architecture over the summer at Virginia Tech’s one week program. Each summer, as part of Collegiate’s commitment to promoting a challenging and supportive educational experience, the School awards grants to Upper School students, allowing Cougars to explore meaningful areas of study in their chosen subjects of interest. This past summer, 14 Upper School students pursued enrichment experiences, ranging from programs such as Rory’s to intensive college preparatory courses, funded by endowment support. “The fact that Collegiate gives out endowments like this is a great display of value and community,” Rory says. “It shows that they really care about the enrichment of their students.”

Her interest in architecture began in Middle School, when she realized it was a profession of both creative and technical acuity. She fell in love with the structure of buildings, the beauty held within the crevices of stone. In her free time she would design conceptual structures. Her favorite was a tea house, in the shape of a teapot, that she created for her mom. “I would get really excited about imagining different buildings that would be really impossible to make,” she says. “But I really had fun drawing the layouts and all the little details. I think I’ve always enjoyed picturing the space and visualizing what that space could be used for and who the spaces would serve.”

But like a fire, passions flare and fade and Rory briefly lost interest in the profession until her Sophomore year at Collegiate, when the time came to begin thinking about her future. She confronted the thought that everyone eventually has to consider: What do I love to do? “I thought, Well, what do I actually really enjoy? How can I find something that utilizes my creativity but also takes the form of a steady job?” she says. “And then I remembered my Middle School adventures with architecture and how I used to love those projects.” Architecture seemed like the perfect union.

Rory saw the summer program at Virginia Tech as an opportunity to fully explore that passion. During the program she dove deeper into the world of architecture than she ever had before. Within the span of a week, Rory worked in small groups to conceptualize and create a city block. The intricacies of a large-scale project surprised her. During the conceptualization process her group had to consider both the building and the individual lives that building would affect. “We had to think of things like waste management, education and water resources,” Rory says. “We learned about the collaboration between the designers and the community where the project is being built. So you have to connect with community leaders and the surrounding buildings, you have to check on the pipelines and plumbing. It’s a big process. We had to think of the people just as much as the building.”

From lectures Rory learned what she describes as the “technical aspects of art” and the importance of sketching designs to scale. The craft she began exploring at Collegiate became more refined, and her future became more distinct. The summers are often listless — the days fold into one another in a seamless stupor — but not for Rory. Not this summer, at least. This one was filled with searching intention. This was the summer Rory, an aspiring architect, decided to lay the foundation for the future.

“I wanted to make sure that architecture was something that I could actually do in college and that I could keep up with the workload and the lifestyle of an architecture student,” Rory says. “And I ended up realizing that I really enjoyed it. I was able to develop my skills and my confidence level rose. I’m excited for the next step in college. Going into the program, I was nervous that I wasn’t on the right path, but now I know I’m definitively rooted in my decision to pursue architecture.”

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Endowments play a vital role in allowing students to explore their passions and interests, which better prepares them for future success. The following are the students who participated in this summer’s engaging endowment programs.

Ty Gregory ’24, A Study of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill

Hannah Bonbright ’24, NYU Tish Summer High School Program

Alexis Covington ’24, RISE Internship, Boston University

Olivia D’Ambrosia ’24, AIM Introduction to Experimental Psychology

Sadie Henderson-Best ’24, NYU Summer Songwriting Workshop

Rory Jones ’24, Architectural Design and Sustainability Summer Program // School of Architecture: Inside Design Summer Program at Virginia Tech

Marissa Milton ’24, Human Nutrition and Health Summer Program at the University of Connecticut

Chloe Webb ’24, Visions Service Adventures-Dominican Republic

Marissa Milton ’24, Human Nutrition and Health Summer Program at the University of Connecticut

Braden Felts ’24, Yale University Advanced Economics for Leaders

Demi Greene ’24, Summer @ Brown Pre-College Program - Introduction to Medicine: Do You Want to Be a Doctor?

Bolling Lewis ’24, University of Pennsylvania’s Essentials of Finance Global Youth Summer Course

Walker Smith ’24, BioScience Institute at Wake Forest University

Jewel Yarney ’24, Projects Abroad: Childcare and Community Work, Ghana

Bolling Lewis ’24, University of Pennsylvania’s Essentials of Finance Global Youth Summer Course

Elly Williams ’24, Marine Biology Immersion Camp