Back to School

It’s that time again.  Summer is winding down (well, we do live in Virginia, so maybe it’s a bit early to say that…), last minute vacations have come to an end, and all the kids are singing, “Ohhhhhh, back to school, back to school…

It’s also a time when many high school graduates begin the next phase of their life journey: college.  This past weekend, Rachel and I spent a day in Richmond visiting friends and family.  While we were downtown, we stopped by VCU to visit one of our seniors and see how she was enjoying dorm life. We even got to help her hang a picture and teach her how to use a non-Keurig coffee vessel.

Ellie is an amazing young woman.  Before photographing her, we had the privilege of getting to know her through our church’s youth group—particularly during a mission trip to Detroit where we spent time experiencing the city and helping to revitalize its outlying neighborhoods.  A recent graduate of Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, she enjoys coffee, her sweet dog Abby and pet rats(!), baking, Star Trek, and reading books by the stack.  And beyond all that, she is incredibly empathetic and has an uncanny ability to understand the depth of human emotion; she connects deeply with others through translating and relating her own life experiences—especially the difficult ones.

We sat down with Ellie recently and chatted about her life, her high school experience, and her aspirations for this next phase.

 

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