As the 2023-24 school year comes to an end, students finish up their final papers and make plans for the summer; many beloved faculty members part ways with PDS. Time seems to go by faster with each passing day, but the Associate Director of College Counseling Ms. Anderson slows down to reflect on her time here at PDS.
If there is one thing that best describes Ms. Anderson, it’s her love for helping students tell their stories. The best part of her job is “getting to work with students from so many different backgrounds, who have so many different interests.” Not only does she enjoy getting to know students through their academics, but also through watching them on the athletic field and on stage. Ms. Anderson shared that “it’s really a privilege to get to help [the students] decide what they want to do after they graduate.”
Naturally, some of her favorite memories at PDS include bonding activities with students, such as Blue and White Day and singing with the school chorus. Another core memory was celebrating the achievement of students completing their college applications. Ms. Anderson recalled, “Every year during the end of October, which is right when students are preparing their college applications, we take over the back of the library, and students come in during their free periods and work on their applications. They ring the bell when they’re done, and everyone in the library claps.”
In her free time, Ms. Anderson loves to read and talk about books, a passion that started from an early age. When she was a child, she would dress up in costumes and pretend to be characters from books. Her love for reading is why she’s moving forward from PDS, as she will be opening a bookstore in Pennsylvania. The bookstore will carry all types of books for both adults and children, but Ms. Anderson hopes to bring in more books about Queer people, people of color, and disabled people to serve as a space “where people can come in and be their authentic selves.” She highlighted, “I wanted to make sure that there’s a diverse range of perspectives and stories that are represented […] because I think that everyone’s experience is richer when we get to hear stories about everyone’s experiences.” Since graduating from college in 2005, Ms. Anderson has always worked in education but expresses her excitement to be involved in the community in a different way.
Having inspired countless students, Ms. Anderson leaves the PDS community with one final piece of advice: “Make the most of the relationships with your classmates and teachers. Taking time to enjoy the people around you is a good way to counteract pressure that naturally happens in high school.”
