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Ciara Graves ’16
Ciara Graves ’16 recently became a Social Media & Marketing Strategist at Audius.
“As a WFS lifer, one of the most important lessons I learned was to be patient and listen. After graduating college in the height of the pandemic, the future felt unstable and unknown—especially when it came to following my dream of working in the music industry. While I don’t regularly have Meeting for Worship anymore, the practice of reflecting, taking time to sit with my thoughts, and remaining patient, is something that has served me during these last couple of years. Being able to ‘just listen’ to others, or even your own thoughts instead of immediately reacting to any work/life situation, is one of the most powerful tools.”
Ciara Graves ’16 graduated from Elon University in 2020 with her B.S. in Music Production and Recording Arts. During her time at Elon, Ciara was a member of the student-run record label called Limelight Records, performed in Elon’s electronic music ensemble called Techtronica, and studied abroad in Germany, Austria, and Hungary for Elon’s “Lives of the Great Composer’s program. Upon her graduation from Elon, Ciara continued her music education and studied Online Music Production at Icon Collective College of Music where she graduated in 2021 and was nominated for 2020 Student of the Year.
In July 2021, she began her career at Thrive Music as a Marketing Manager, focusing on social media and audience development strategy. Ciara made an immediate impact as she led the marketing campaigns for the single, “Do it To It (ACRAZE mix)” by ACRAZE. The song, which amassed over 12.2 billion global streams since its release in 2021, has 3.4 million videos created on TikTok using the song and received an award from iHeartRadio for “Best Dance Song of the Year” for 2021. For her outstanding work, Ciara received a gold record in 2022.
When asked to reflect on what she loves most about her work, Ciara states, “What I love the most about my job at Thrive Music is it allows me to work closely with the artists we sign to the label. Being able to play a role in fulfilling an artist’s creative vision is an absolute dream. Each day is not like the last, and I am lucky to spend my days developing creative marketing campaigns and working with some of the artists who I looked up to as a kid.”
Her advice to the Class of 2023? “The future can be intimidating and unknown, but it’s okay to not have it all figured out. Be patient in this process and enjoy the present because there’s always something new to learn.”
To learn more about Ciara, listen to her Quaker Matters podcast episode here.
To learn more about Ciara, listen to her Quaker Matters podcast episode here.
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Arlene Spezzaferro ’93
“I attended WFS from Pre-K until graduation, and respect for all people was a central tenant to my education. It frames how I see the world, build relationships, and this inclusive mindset has helped me be successful in so many parts of my life.”Read More -
Willow Pearson Trimbach ’88
“Cultivation of sitting in silence, listening to the voices of spirit within and around me, through meeting for worship. This foundational contemplative practice, which led me to Buddhism, Integral Spirituality and beyond, is the basis of my music, psychotherapy, and teaching.”Read More -
Miles Katzen ’16
“Wilmington Friends School provided me with the foundation for understanding what a community truly is. My teachers, coaches, and classmates helped me learn that a community is not necessarily a physical space but a feeling where everyone is valued and has a sense of belonging. Most importantly, my time at Friends formed my core belief that there is light in everyone and that every human being deserves to live a life of dignity.”Read More -
Osi Chukwuocha ’22
“I believe my time at WFS prepared me for success at CWRU both academically and athletically. Academically, the high rigor of WFS courses like AP Physics gave me a great foundation coming into CWRU. However, I think the most effective tool I learned from WFS was building relationships with teachers. Building relationships with teachers at CWRU has helped me monumentally with assignments and exams.”Read More -
Manny Adebi ’20
Read More“My experience at Wilmington Friends School set me up for success by providing challenging coursework that required critical thinking. Learning how I learned and figuring out a process that worked for me was one of the most important things because regardless of what you want to major in or what sport you want to play at a higher level, you will need to learn the information and how to apply it when it is necessary. Friends helped me facilitate my learning process, and I’ve continued to adapt and improve it based on the situation.” -
Jocelyn Nathan ’23 Wins the National Championship!
Congratulations to Jocelyn Nathan ‘23 and the Penn State University women’s volleyball team on winning the National Championship! In their 3-1 victory over the University of Louisville this afternoon, Nathan recorded a career-high ten digs.Read More
Jocelyn is pictured with her parents, Len and Lynne, and sisters, Dani ‘19 (bottom left) and Alyssa ‘17.
Great work, Jocelyn! -
Madeline Rowland ’23
Read More“My experience at Wilmington Friends School taught me the importance of time management, resilience, and community. Academically, the rigorous curriculum helped me develop my critical thinking skills, intellectual curiosity, and the habits to handle complex material, all of which have equipped me with the tools to excel at Williams.” -
Philip Montigney ’07
“I always mention Wilmington Friends as having an incredible influence in my life as preparation not only for college but well beyond. Acceptance and curiosity in understanding sound simple enough, but as I get older, I realize the world would benefit greatly if more people were taught those lessons at a young age.”Read More -
Zach Williams ’02
“There’s no need to be modest about your ambitions or your hopes. If there is something that you want to do or something that you want to see happen in the world, move toward it one little step at a time, and you can be a part of how things change.”Read More -
Josh Galperin ’00
On the latest episode of the Quaker Matters Podcast, hosted by Piper Roskovensky ’26, Josh Galperin ’00 discusses what it’s like to work in environmental law, what he enjoys most about teaching law, and shares advice to students who are interested in pursuing a career in law.Read More -
Sarah Schenck Maheshwari ’91
Sarah Schenck Maheshwari ’91 joined the Quaker Matters Podcast.Read More -
A Family’s Ties to WFS Since the 18th Century
When Kaylea Ann Donaghy, age 3, walked into Wilmington Friends Lower School in January, 2021, she was not aware that she may well be the ninth generation and 38th member of her family to attend or be involved with the oldest school in Delaware.Read More -
Chris Loeffler ’00
Chris Loeffler ’00 currently serves as the Interim Head of Lower School.Read More -
John Bonifaz ’84
Voices of Friends: John Bonifaz ’84, Co-Founder and President at Free Speech For PeopleRead More -
Ethan Cooperson ’87
Voices of Friends: Ethan Cooperson ’87 is a Senior Researcher at Stats Perform.Read More -
Meryl Gatti ’15
Meryl Gatti ’15 currently serves as an Entity Management Product Trainer for CSC.Read More
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101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
302.576.2900 | info@wilmingtonfriends.org
Preschool - 12th Grade
302.576.2900 | info@wilmingtonfriends.org
Preschool - 12th Grade
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.
