Parting Words from Student Council President Zach Corbin ‘22

For college, I will attend…Washington and Lee in Virginia. I received the Johnson Scholarship for Leadership and Integrity, which covers full tuition, books, meals, lodging, everything. I will also receive a stipend that I can use for research or internships. This will be extremely helpful, as I plan to major in biochemistry. I also love being involved in politics and being in leadership positions, so I might double major in Spanish or something in the humanities or politics.

To apply for the scholarship I had to… submit a separate application and answer the prompt “describe a photo that is uniquely you.” I wrote about the assemblies I get to lead in Keeler Theater every week. There is this picture of me on stage, so I selected that picture and wrote about how much I love Country Day. From 125 finalists, they picked only 44 people to receive the scholarship. About 7,500 people applied to the school and Washington and Lee only accepted about 450. I feel very fortunate.

Being at Country Day is… the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s been the best eight years of my life. My brothers and I applied to Country Day and another school, but Country Day felt more like home. We all came here at the same time. My first year at Country Day was in 4^th grade. If I had any advice for my 4^th grade self, it would be to enjoy it while it lasts. It all goes by so fast.

I definitely stressed…about school. The academic rigor here is no joke but there are always people to help you. For example, in my sophomore year, I took AP bio with Mr. [Tim] Dunn. It was academically challenging, but it was so much fun. He made me fall in love with science and biology. He wrote one of my reference letters, which is probably a big reason why I got the scholarship.

My favorite thing about senior year is…the people. Junior year was really stressful but senior year is more relaxed. I have time to hang out with my friends. As student council president, I take a lot of pride in making sure everyone feels heard and represented. I had fun working with other people to organize events like dances. We had three dances this year that were all really fun. I also enjoyed my time on the baseball team, football team, and chess club. I volunteered with Matthew 25: Ministries and as part of a tutoring organization. It’s been an incredible year.  

The trip to Cherokee, North Carolina was…my favorite Middle School memory. The Middle School trips in general were just so much fun.

I’m excited to…see the Clap-out from a different perspective and go to the senior dinner with the faculty. And then there’s graduation. I’m excited about all of it but sad in a way, sad to be leaving.

There is a lot I love about Country Day, but what stands out the most is…the people. My class includes 69 of my best friends. The teachers are out-of-this-world amazing and they’ve always supported me. The administrators have always had my back. Everyone has celebrated good times with me and supported me during harder times. I plan on staying in touch but not seeing everyone every day will be something I will miss.