Celebrating Sisterhood

On Saturday afternoon in the Little Theater in Reid Hall, the Celebration of the Women of Ferry Hall and Lake Forest Academy took place to recognize the history and outstanding achievements of Ferry Hall alumnae and to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the Ferry Hall dormitory. The program included Riya Kapoor ’23 as Ferry Hall Prefect, Nancy Neustadt Barcelo ’70 as a previous Woman

Remarks from Riya Kapoor ’23, Ferry Hall Prefect

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Riya Kapoor and I am honored to be your 19th Ferry Hall prefect. I am so excited to get to know all of you, as you are all remarkable women.

Before I tell you about myself, I would like to take a moment to congratulate this year’s Woman of Distinction, Sheri Kersch Schultz, as well as this year’s Hall of Fame honoree Lori Rewick Simon. I am so honored to be here with you today.

As Mr. Tennyson shared, Ms. Kersch Schultz is the co-founder and chair of the Schultz Family Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to create greater opportunity, accessible to all. This resonates with me for a multitude of reasons, but the most important one being my background.

My parents immigrated here from India for nothing other than opportunity, not only for themselves, but ultimately for me.

Coming to Lake Forest Academy is the best opportunity I have ever received. I came here as a freshman and have now been boarding in Marshall Field dormitory for three years and am now a proctor in the dorm, which means I am one of the student leaders and work closely with the dorm parents. After being nervous to come to a new school and live away from home, I came to fall in love with everything about LFA. Whether it was staying up late in the dorm commons doing homework together, or spending hours in math help trying to learn how to factor, the sense of community here ensured that my nerves quickly evaporated.

My experience as a boarder here can be boiled down to one word that I am sure resonates with most of you: sisterhood.

Being an only child my entire life, I never knew what it was like to have an of Distinction, Suzy Vaughn as inaugural head of the Ferry Hall dormitory, Head of School Chris Tennyson, and remarks from former Ferry Hall resident Madeleine Pye ’15 read by Joie Romelus ’23, a current Ferry Hall resident, who also shared her personal memories of life in Ferry Hall. Following the program, the group toured the Ferry Hall dormitory. every time I was up to bat, what I loved about the sport is how I could still hear the cheers of my teammates through the batting cage. environment so uplifting and captivating, that it felt like family. Other things I never knew included sharing one bathroom with 20 girls all trying to brush their teeth and shower at the same time or having my physics teacher see me in my pajamas.

This admirable community is reflective of the Ferry Hall community. The core values of intellect, character, exploration, kindness, love of learning, and community have remained prominent in the school to this very day.

One of my favorite traditions in the dorms in the annual capture the flag tournament. On the first Thursday of September each year, girls dorms Field, Ferry, and Mac fight for victory against boys dorms, Warner and Atlass. While intense, what I admire most about this time each year is the sense of community amongst all of us.

During my time here, I have found myself delving into the community at LFA outside of the dorms. I have been able to immerse myself in activities like South Asian Student Union, Girl Up, cross country and softball. Last year I was also the house captain of Sargent, which you all may know as the yellow team. Three years ago, if you asked me to swing a bat, I would probably knock someone out in the process, and even though I am not exactly a softball star now, I was able to try something new and out of my comfort zone, which is one of the unique parts about LFA. Even though I would strike out

These values were instilled in me from the moment I arrived at LFA, and are ultimately what led me to the position as Ferry Hall prefect. When asked to rank prefect positions last year, my first choice was Ferry Hall prefect. I got the chance to connect with the previous Ferry Hall prefect, Natalie. Her passion and excitement about the legacy left behind by the women of Ferry Hall inspired me. I wanted to have the opportunity to connect with all of you and learn and follow the paths you all have created.

Among other of my favorite traditions, such as Move-Up Day, the House System, and Ferry Hall Day, this lunch gathering during Alumni Weekend stands prominent and important because it gives me, as well as other student leaders here today, the chance to learn from your positive impact on the community.

Ms. Kersch Schultz and Ms. Simon are wonderful examples of Ferry Hall values and I would like to congratulate them once again. It is because of women like you that the legacy of Ferry Hall is alive at Lake Forest Academy today. We appreciate you and offer you our most sincere congratulations.

More than anything, Lake Forest Academy has helped me find my voice, and to me, that is the most valuable thing life can offer. I would like to thank you all for being here today and I look forward to connecting with you and learning more about each of your stories.

Ferry Hall Class of 1970

Seated

Barcelo, Elizabeth Thomas Camp, Laurie Taylor-Curby, Barbara Curtis; Standing (l to r): Lori Rewick Simon, Kathy Pollock, Jeanne Crilley Dresser, Connie Rakowsky

Lake

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