“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.
Ciara was recently promoted and currently serves as the Marketing Director/Social Media & Audience Development Strategy at Thrive Music. 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.”
“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.”
“My time at Wilmington Friends helped me develop my creativity and leadership. It allowed me to be myself, and realize there are no limits to potential. There is value not only in education, but the relationships formed.”
Elizabeth L. Haven ’72 was a “sandwich” Friends student, between brother Ken Haven ’70 and sister Julie Haven Malloy ’80. At Friends, Liz was active in student government and was Senior Class President. She received the Bush Award and was a National Merit Scholar. After majoring in Geology at Harvard University, Liz graduated in 1976 and left for California, becoming the first female oilfield engineer for the Schlumberger Company. In 1980, Liz completed her M.S. degree in Engineering Geology from Stanford University. Also in 1980, she married fellow geologist Rick Humphreys, with whom she raised two daughters, now grown. Liz led a variety of water quality programs for California’s state government, culminating in the Deputy Director position charged with transferring the Safe Drinking Water Program in order to address the need for safe and affordable drinking water for disadvantaged communities. Now retired, Liz and her husband live in Windsor, California and enjoy hiking and camping with their dog in the beautiful countryside and beaches of Sonoma County.
“WFS cultivated my interests from a young age. I felt like teachers really knew me - both my strengths and my weaknesses. They allowed me to be who I was while also encouraging me to reach my full potential. I felt like more than just a student in the Class of 2012; I felt like an important part of the community.”
“WFS taught me about teamwork and compassion when working on assignments and projects with multiple students. This was helpful in college and continues to be in the design world as it’s all about negotiation and teamwork!”
Robert R. Hoopes, Jr. ’85 is a successful entrepreneur and nationally recognized leader in the field of public policy, reputation, and business management.
Last April, two dozen students, staff, faculty, and WDEL gathered in the library for a glimpse into the future. Theo Nix, Jr. ‘72 presented on why the sky’s the limit in opportunities for FAA-certified drone pilots. The former corporate counsel for DuPont has founded a business to train pilots in five states including Delaware - and he wants to expand internationally, starting in Kenya.
“Make yourself known in everything that you do. It’s very easy to get ‘lost in the numbers’ at a large university, so it is important that your professors are able to put a face to the name and that you make an honest impression. These connections that you make with professors, advisors, and coaches can last a lifetime and can open up new opportunities that you never knew existed or help you achieve experiences that you have always dreamed of . . . I am able to do what I love in a way that I never thought was possible because of these professors, advisors and coaches.”
Susan Woolley Katz ‘88 was a Lifer at Friends, as were her sisters (Laura Kemper ’81, Lisa Anderson ’82) and parents (Cynthia Pyle Woolley ’56, Clark Hullihen Woolley ’57). Many other generations of her family also attended WFS.
Eric Kelley ’10 graduated from Williams College in 2015 with his degree in English. While at Williams, Kelley captained the Varsity Men’s Lacrosse team and served as a member of the Black Student Union.
"Most importantly, it helped me to value and appreciate silence and reflection, and I think it made me a better listener, which isn’t a bad thing in my line of work."
“I believe that the concept of active listening and learning was cultivated at WFS, and this included being open to feedback. Being willing (and knowing it’s okay!) to change your mind, and constructively disagreeing helped prepare me for post HS life. On the topic of seeing something differently, it was here that I learned that it is perfectly fine to disagree with someone or not see eye to eye, but it’s imperative for everyone’s personal growth and development to do so in a kind, respectful, and gracious way. I think this is the most powerful lesson I took away from Friends and one that I see necessary to practice daily in our world, now more than ever.”
“One of the greatest lessons I took from Friends was how to think critically, which has served me well throughout my educational journey and into the professional world. It’s truly a skill that is valuable regardless of what you do in life."
“I greatly appreciate WFS for giving me the opportunity to become an independent learner and teaching me how to write. Without these skills, I would not have had nearly as much confidence to go into research as I do now.”