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.
In June, 37 WFS middle school students embarked on an unforgettable journey to Puerto Rico for a week of cultural exploration, environmental learning, and community connection.
Wilmington Friends School partnered with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Social Impact Strategy and Schoolyard Ventures to offer the Social Innovators Program, a 12-week virtual course in social entrepreneurship for 10th and 11th graders. Through online classes, real-world case studies, and guided project work, students earned a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship while designing and launching ventures to address issues meaningful to them.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the following retirees, whose dedication, leadership, and care have made a lasting impact on the Wilmington Friends School community!
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is often considered the highest standard for college preparatory education. This year, 29 members from the Class of 2025 were IB diploma candidates.
Max Leffler ’22 recently hosted his 5th Annual Disc Golf Tournament, raising $5,200 in support of The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation and its mission to fight childhood cancer.
At the start of summer break, 15 Wilmington Friends Upper School students traveled to El Paso, Texas, as part of a QUEST Term Service/Leadership Trip. This immersive experience combines global education, leadership development, and community engagement.
The mastery program in middle school is a semester or year-long, student-initiated and student-produced project designed to develop that student's talents, interests, and skills. The emphasis is on achievement and completing a finished product that is either presented or displayed publicly in a polished, masterful way. Mastery projects may include academic research papers, visual and performing arts projects or performances, special teaching units, and physical projects.
Thank you for joining us for the Alumni & Friends baseball, lacrosse, and soccer games this past Saturday! It was a fun day of friendly competition, school spirit, and reconnecting with the WFS community—whether you were back on the field or cheering from the sidelines.
We hope you'll stop by campus to catch a game or say hello next year!
So much laughter and fun (for the grown ups, too!) at this week's lower school field days. Bring on summer! For more photos, visit our Smugmug page (password can be found in the Friends on Friday message). Photos courtesy of WFS Yearbook
For Mental Health Awareness Month, middle and upper school students answered the question "How will you take care of your wellness this summer?" The Quaker Cares committee then created a vision board with the many responses!
Celebrations for the Class of 2025 have begun, and last night was Senior Exploration Night, where members of the Class of 2025 presented the projects they’ve been working on for the last month.
Our final Lower School Culture Quest was a celebration of Juneteenth! Students explored the significance of Juneteenth through hands-on activities, music, food, and arts and crafts. It was a fun and meaningful way to learn about and honor this important day!
We wrapped up our spring concert series today with a preschool "informance," where our youngest students showcased their singing, dancing, and instrument playing!
One of our most beloved spring traditions...the middle school 5K! Costumed students (everything from the cast of Scooby Doo to famous athletes) walked and ran the Alapocas neighborhood all to benefit a good cause.
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.