Living @ SEM

Home Away From Home: A Boarding Student & Her Host Family

By Katherine F. Rooney 24 ‚

Buffalo Seminary educates students from all around the world. Right now there are students from the Bahamas, Canada, China, Kenya, South Korea, and Vietnam. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic first struck many were unable to return to their home countries. While stranded in the United States, they were forced to stay with other families in possibly unfamiliar houses. Yet for one student, Phuong Ha ’21, that meant finding a home away from home in Buffalo and forming lifelong and lasting bonds with the Schmidt family.

During her freshman year, Aubrey (Bre) Schmidt ’22 began talking to Phuong about her plans for spring break and discovered that she was looking for a place to stay. After asking her parents, the Schmidt family agreed to welcome Phuong into their home over the break. It is common for residential students to stay with generous host families for breaks if they are unable to return to their home countries. In the words of Bre, “I did not want her to be alone at the dorms with nowhere to go.” Phuong continued to stay with the Schmidts for all of her breaks beginning her sophomore year and Bre’s freshman year. However, when Covid-19 hit in the spring of her junior year she needed a place to stay for a longer period of time. She needed a home. Once again, the Schmidt family opened their doors to her and she stayed with them during quarantine and the summers of 2021 and 2022.

Phuong has not been able to make it back to her home country of Vietnam since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but luckily she now has a second family here in America. In her own words she says, “As a residential student, I had to adjust myself to life in America before I met the Schmidt family. However, since I have been staying with them for quite a while, I feel

Left: Phuong Ha ’21, Bre Schmidt ’22, and Julie Schmidt ‘83 going out to eat. Above: Phuong with the Schmidts. Photos courtesy of Bre Schmidt ’22

really connected to the family. They always try to introduce me to as many new things as possible, so I’m very familiar with American culture. It’s like I have a home in America now to go back after a tough time at school.” This feeling is mutual as Bre says, “For the first few times, we were still getting to know Phuong, what she liked, what she did not like, when she would talk to her family so we wouldn’t bother her, and so much more. Over time, we all warmed up with each other and she is now like another family member to us. To me, she’s like a sister, to my parents she’s like a daughter, and to my aunts and uncles, she’s like a niece. She is a part of our family.”

This is a bond that was formed with countless shared memories. Now a student at Ithaca College, when Phuong was still looking at what schools to apply to and where to attend, the Schmidts took her on trips so that she could tour and make her decision. They celebrated Lunar New Year together so that Phuong could feel more comfortable and at home. When going on trips to Florida and to Canandaigua Lake, Phuong went along too and participated in various activities such as fishing, kayaking with manatees, and of course, eating lots of ice cream. And finally when it was time to drop Phuong off at college, Bre’s mother Julie Schmidt ’83 says, “Moving Phuong into her dorm gave me the same anxious feeling as moving one of my own children into their dorms. The worry of ‘Will she be ok?’, ‘Will she find friends?’ I periodically check in with her and look forward to her breaks so she can come ‘home.’”

Yet, even now that Phuong has moved out she continues to be a part of their family. She recalls when “they sent me a package full of pictures and snacks after I first moved into college. Everything about college was still new to me and I didn’t know a lot of people there, but when I received the package and the letter inside saying something like they missed me and that I could come back anytime I wanted, I just needed to tell them and they would come pick me up. It was really heart warming.” Phuong continues to stay with them over college breaks and now has a home away from home and a second family in America if she ever needs.

From Kenya to Buffalo: What I’ve Learned

By Martha Odhiambo 22 ‚

“Are you ready for the cold?” This was it. This was the question that if someone ever asked me, then I definitely knew they weren’t American. Anytime I uttered the words “Buffalo Seminary,” most people seemed to be hearing snow blizzards and church. Part of me is convinced that one of the few reasons my dad was thrilled about me coming to America, besides it being America, was that I was going to a Seminary, at least that is the part he heard when I said “Buffalo Seminary.” I became an instrument of pity to most Americans, the Kenyan girl who had no idea how much cold she was in for. Were they right? Most definitely. Boy, was I scared. In my defense, they had no right to exaggerate it as much as they did. When I went to parties, I simply said, “I am looking forward to my first year in Buffalo Seminary,” which would result in a chain of conversations; from people preparing me for the cold, to them talking about their worst snow, which “was never to be compared to how bad the Buffalo snow could be,” their words, not mine.

Have you ever seen something so surprising your mouth and eyes just won’t shut? Now take that expression and print it right on my face and there you have it, my first-timeseeing-SEM expression. This was no school, this was Hogwarts. Now let me not get ahead of myself. My first time in SEM was the dorms. I was warmly welcomed by my first prefect, Shanon, and my room was huge. I never had that much space to myself. My family and I live in a small one room house and so I learned to share every part of my space. I slept on the same bed as my sisters and we most definitely had blanket fights due to one of us pulling all of them all to ourselves. So having a whole room to myself with one roommate and not having to share my blanket with anyone? Sweet. Like every other teenager, I snapped pictures from every corner of my room, and definitely with me in it just to prove that this wasn’t from Google, this was real. Now back to Hogwarts, I mean the school building. I have never gotten lost in such a small space so quickly. I still don’t understand why the two staircases leading upstairs didn’t connect

Residential activities have been a highlight of Martha’s experience at SEM. Martha Odhiambo ’22

and how somehow the same catwalk managed to drop me off at a different destination each time. I am sure that there are still rooms in this school that I have no idea about.

It was in this Hogwarts building that I met some of the most beautiful people in my life. Inner and outer beauty. This building taught the freshman me what it meant to go outside of your box, let me rephrase that. This building kicked me out of my comfort zone. It was either you ask for directions or lose your way to Physics, and you didn’t wanna do that. So I chose to speak, and that is how the extroverted Martha was breathed to life. But before she was that Martha, she was the same girl who had so much to say but never sparked a conversation because most people seemed to nod to everything she said out of confusion. My accent limited me to what I could say in the classroom and in friend groups and I grew a fear of not being heard, and the easiest way out of this fear seemed like not talking. But then I met people who talked to me first, let me ask what they were saying about ten times in a row and were patient with me when they couldn’t understand me at all even after the twentieth time of saying the same thing.

These Hogwarts walls taught the freshman me to go for the sports I very much feared. Soccer balls passed between my legs in most games and I wanted to quit out of embarrassment, but it was the people I met in these walls that promised not to laugh at me but instead let me be their

From community cleanups to athletics, Martha has been an active participant in both the SEM and outside community. Martha Odhiambo ’22

cheer person until I was able to play just fine. So if you are wondering where I got my loud voice from, blame soccer for letting me be their single-person cheer team since freshman year. These walls taught the sophomore me what it means to not quit and the junior me what it meant to take a leap of faith. I am definitely able to stand up in front of the people within these walls, be absolutely ridiculous and be okay with that. That is because the people within these walls have taught me what being accepted means, and just how far the right amount of faith and love from others can bring you.

And then I have my residential walls. This is where I met my sisters, my mother literally calls Katrina, one of my best friends, her daughter, so yes, family. This is where I learnt what responsibility meant. Coming to SEM meant I was away from home, and so I was no longer the middle child who had older siblings to look up to, I was the older sibling. And so these walls taught me how to be just that. I missed home, I missed my family and home sickness was not kind at all, it hit every time and anytime it felt like it. But these walls taught me that I could turn to 40 other residentials who felt the same and they were gonna be my family for me. These walls taught me that I had mothers who were more than willing to wake up in the middle of the night to tend to me. These walls taught me to be kind and loving to others because that is exactly what I was shown. And these walls taught me that it was okay to feel, and not always be the tough Kenyan girl I came in as.

From turning down a nomination of class president freshman year to voluntarily running and winning the HornetJacket chair, I believe that speaks a lot of how SEM has helped me grow. Living in SEM has not only given me an opportunity to not have to fight over the blanket with my sisters every night, but has given me the safest of spaces I could have asked for as I pursued my high school career. SEM taught me the phrases, “it’s okay,” “I need help,” “I am not okay,” “I can take a step back and then move forward,” and “I got this.” Initially I knew these phrases, but bluntly. They were just phrases without meaning, phrases I never knew I was going to be needing and using and being okay with. And SEM is one of the main reasons I get to go to college and have the promise of a hopeful future.

Lastly, SEM taught the senior me to rise up to challenges because that’s how you learn and become strong mentally and internally. And it is currently teaching the senior me to go for the right pick for a graduation dress. So to those who just joined SEM, it is important that you not wish the days away. Be present in them, love the good ones, turn to your friends, advisors, teachers, faculty or staff on the bad ones, someone is always there for you. And make sure that when you are getting to the end of the high school race, you have memories because you took your time making them. I have an infinite page myself.

Finishing the Chapter: My Four Years at SEM

By Katrina Seymour 22 ‚

Ican still remember the butterflies in my stomach as I got on the flight to come to Buffalo. It was an eighthour flight from The Bahamas to Buffalo and a stop in between at Atlanta airport which is my favorite because of all the artwork that’s always on display. My first time in Buffalo was the summer before school started and my first thought was this place is so breathtaking. I was excited but nervous to show my mom the school that always looks way bigger the first time you see it. Ms. Stothart greeted us at the door and told us that we can unpack everything later. Later that day Christine Gillis helped us move into my room; little did I know Lipke was going to be my home for the next four years. Most people would say that the hardest part about coming to SEM would be saying goodbye to their parents. I do have to admit that it was sad watching my mom leave but so much was happening that I was more happy than sad, and my mom knew that I was going into good hands.

As senior year is fastly coming to an end I often find myself looking back on the last four years. The person I was when I came and the person I am now made me realize that so much can change in the span of four years. Four years ago when I met the prefect of Lipke I thought she was so captivating and could never imagine myself in a leadership position. Now I’ve been a prefect of Lipke for two years and I can truly say that I love it. Through all the movie nights, cooking activities, and shopping trips I made so many friends. As I look back on the nights of Starbucks runs or eating noodles as we talked about everything but nothing at the same time. As I look back on the rainy days when we played board games or drank hot chocolate. As I look back on all the adventures like hiking in Niagara Falls or attempting to ride every ride at Six Flags. As I look back on the goodbyes and all the hellos I started to realize that the years at

Snapshots of some of Katrina’s favorite memories throughout her years at SEM. Katrina Seymour ’22

SEM are the years that I will always keep with me. I learned so much about myself and others. I sat on the phone with my mom talking about how I would describe my four years at SEM and I drew a blank. Four years is a lot to summarize. 1,456 days, when put in that scale, seems so large, 1,456 memories, 1,456 days worth of conversations, 1,456 days of meeting new people and spending time with old ones. Out of 1,456 days, only two are truly important. One of those days was the day I arrived at SEM. That day made every other day possible. That day allowed me to meet all of my friends that have become like sisters to me, it allowed me to meet wonderful teachers and staff that encourage me to be the best version of myself. That day, walking up to the doors of SEM made all of those memories possible. And the other day which will be the day I graduate can be best described from a quote from my mom “I arrived as a child and I’m leaving as an adult.” After all is said and done I’m grateful for my time at SEM and will take everything I learn as I start the new chapter in my life.

Living Two Lives: My Experience Five-Day Boarding

By Sia Oltramari 23 ‚

Sia and her roommate Hannah on H/J Day.

Iawaken to total darkness on a Friday morning. Echoing throughout the large dorm room, my phone alarm blares to alert me to get ready for school. I roll out of bed and start my morning routine. I leave my room to walk to the school, my bags already set out on the bed for when I make the 45-50 minute trip back to my home in Batavia later that day. I enter the Atrium to eat some hot breakfast and idly chatter with my roommate and a few other friends that I sit with. Then, I go about my day like the rest of the students. After school ends, if I don’t have any after school activities, I walk back to my dorm and watch TV shows with my roommate, or I finish some schoolwork that I need to get done. Other times, I practice guitar or learn Korean on Duolingo so I can learn enough to speak with my roommate. I eat dinner with the other residential students and then I pack up and leave to go home.

As a five-day residential student, life at home and in the dorms are entirely different experiences. At the dorms, I’m entirely independent, and it almost feels like college life. I have a roommate, Hannah, who I share everything with. She is like family to me, and our routines often revolve around each other. At home, I have my own room and I wake up around 11. I take karate classes, babysit my neighbor’s two children, and work on my college classes at Genesee Community College. Even my hobbies are different. At the dorms, I play guitar, read, and write stories. In Batavia, I draw and play piano.

It almost feels like I’m living a double life. I have two homes and two families, two toothbrushes, two schools and two sets of friends that have never met each other. The two worlds that I split my time between feel entirely separate, bridged only by the drive from SEM to Batavia. Once I reach Batavia, my SEM responsibilities don’t return until I get back to the dorms on Sunday night, and I finish my weekend homework then. In Batavia, I’m a college student and daughter. At the dorms, I am an independent and responsible student. I am constantly shifting responsibilities and changing roles between the two people I am from week to week. Neither life affects each other. If I have a lot of responsibilities over the weekend at my home in Batavia, the stress doesn’t carry over to my SEM life because it’s for my other self to worry about.

Ultimately, the two lives I live push me to be a better person. My double life taught me responsibility, time management, and how to pack all of my stuff into a suitcase in five minutes when I forget it’s a Friday. The constant switch between my two lives keeps me moving forward. Through boarding at SEM, I have two support systems that love and care for me.

Legacy Residential Scholarship

Do you know a girl who would be a great SEM girl? A great Hornet or Jacket? She doesn’t have to be from Buffalo… Because whether she’s from around the block or around the world – SEM has a place for her in our 5- or 7-day boarding in the beautiful historic homes next door to the school. We are grateful for the generosity of the families and organizations that believe access to a SEM education can change a girl’s life, and the lives of those around her, and in 2017 a Legacy Scholarship was created for residential girls referred by a graduate, trustee of the school, or SEM family. The purpose of this scholarship is to build our SEM community with talented young women who have a connection to the school.