Brooklyn native Johara Tucker never thought she’d fit in at a prep school. Once she got there her perspective was changed forever. Today, Johara has returned to prep school as a staff member at Pomfret School’s community service department, continuing the act of service and giving she learned as a student.
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I never thought boarding school would be in the cards for me – and in fact I wasn’t excited about the prospect until I officially arrived on campus. When I got to Peddie School, I immediately felt a sense of community and knew that it was the right school for me.
Academically I initially struggled, I was so used to being at the top of my class in public school. Getting a “C” was unacceptable to me, so much so, that I told my teacher that I couldn’t accept it. He challenged me to rework the essay until I received a B+. These were the kinds of life lessons I learned while at Peddie: tenacity, effort and not to be afraid to challenge myself.
In my mind the faculty at Peddie was first rate – always accepting of others and willing to work with you. In freshman drama- each student was required to recite a poem. When it was my turn I decided to do a rap song reasoning that rap was poetry. To my surprise my teacher was excited at my choice and supported the fact that I stepped out of the box.
Peddie was pretty diverse and as a result students lived, worked and played with other students who were not like them in the least. While I did answer questions and “educated” my friends about my hair, Jamaican culture and my love for double-dutch, I learned just as much from them about Jewish Holidays, Broadway show tunes and lacrosse. Peddie gave me so many opportunities that I would have never been able to receive if I didn’t go to a prep school. I was challenged to stop placing limits on myself and encouraged to try new things. At Peddie there were no limits to the things that I could do, especially when knowing I was backed by a school community that required the best of me.
When I look back on my experience I’m humbled that I was lucky enough to have that priceless opportunity – I can only hope that I’m able to give back in the same way that Peddie has given to me.
- Johara Tucker
Community Service Coordinator & Communications Specialist
Pomfret School
