The Hillbrook Auction is our largest annual community-building event that raises money for Flexible Tuition Grants.
Each year, we invite a Hillbrook alumni to share about their Hillbrook experience and share the profound impact that contributing toward Flexible Tuition Grants has on our entire community.
Please enjoy this speech, delivered by Hillbrook alum Nils Lovegren:
I’m Nils Lovegren, Hillbrook Class of 2014, and now, a senior at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school in Connecticut. Hillbrook gave me a well-rounded, thorough education that prepared me for everything I have encountered in the past 4 years of high school. From being able to place into math courses like Honors Geometry that were challenging and academically stimulating, I was able to poise myself to plot a challenging mathematics sequence in high school that, this year, has included Linear Algebra and Multivariate Calculus. English classes in which we learned, under the tutelage of Ms. Rubin, to analyze texts, then express ourselves in developed, full-length essays – with proper grammar – placed me miles ahead of my classmates at Choate. At Hillbrook, science classes, above all, emphasized first-hand discovery and exploration, such as when our sixth grade class was tasked with devising our own, independent experiments: upon discovering that some of the earthworms would secrete a liquid upon touch, I investigated the properties of this discharge, only to find that I – at ten – had rediscovered the ant-predatorial adaptation of Eisenia fetida, a chemical that tastes foul to potential predators. Indeed, this joy for scientific investigation led to me, this summer, working in a neuroscience lab at UCSF, investigating the development of the human brain using genetic, physiological, and computational analysis on isolated stem cells.
Even beyond the traditional classroom, though, Hillbrook sparked my development into a well-rounded character: the 8th grade play and ceramics classes set the foundation for my current work in the the theater – most recently the lead in Choate’s mainstage production – and my fascination with modern art, on which I have written multiple papers. On the athletic front, whether it was leading the volleyball team or being allowed onto the basketball team despite my lack of all-around ability, I grew a lifelong dedication to staying fit – today, taking form in captaining our Volleyball team and commissioning a late-night intramural basketball league. Throughout my eight years at Hillbrook, the foundation was laid for me to grow as an individual and to reach for whatever heights I may hope. Indeed, as I head off to university next year, likely at the University of Oxford in England, I nevertheless know that everything that has led me here – my self-motivation, my drive, my passion for learning, my appreciation for arts and athletics – began to take root at Hillbrook. Yet, despite everything that I have described, there remains a glaring gap in my otherwise comprehensive Hillbrook education.
Upon arriving at Choate for my freshman year, I was taken aback: I was shocked by the diversity – racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious – in every aspect. Indeed, coming from Hillbrook, it was an immense shift. I’m not saying that Hillbrook isn’t diverse, of course; after all, I certainly had a far milder case of culture shock than many of my Choate classmates, and entered with a background in discussing issues ranging from racial inequity, in Ms. Pak’s American History class, to sexuality, in the GSA we formed alongside Ms. Sadjadi. But at Choate, analysis of literature, debates regarding current events, and even discussions at lunch tables were enriched by viewpoints and mindsets I had never heard – some, that I didn’t even know existed. Voices from all walks of life augmented my learning; my discovery of diversity was far more than a precursory overview, but rather, a comprehensive foundation.
So what enabled this diversity of minds that so educated me in a manner no other environment could? An lavish endowment and financial aid system furnished by generous donors who had seen their children – or themselves – impacted by the unmatchable education that diversity brings. And that’s why I ask you here, today, to Stand Up for Students. To not just enable students who otherwise would not be able to afford Hillbrook to receive an exceptional, fruitful K-8 education, but also, to fill the gap in your own children’s education: to introduce them to diverse thoughts, opinions, ideas, and backgrounds that are so crucial in understanding the vast world we live in. Indeed, though Hillbrook’s tuition assistance program already aims to bring in students from all walks of life – not just those privileged enough to afford it – we must continue to do more. In Standing Up for Students, your donation doesn’t just affect the students receiving these grants: it augments the education of every student at Hillbrook – including your own.