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"The Power of And. The culture, community, tradition, academics and athletics at East helped me to develop how to be a whole brain thinker. How to be social, athletic and academic. I felt like growing up in East pushed me to flex and grow in all three areas."

"I've learned––and continue to learn––that success doesn’t always manifest in the ways we expect or desire, but that doesn’t mean our efforts are worthless. Oftentimes, I would tirelessly study for a test or edit a paper to “perfection” only to receive a grade I didn’t think fairly rewarded my hard work. Even beyond academics, in situations where I didn’t get what I think I bargained for, I always found lessons to be learned. East has taught me the value in seeking these lessons rather than merely accepting the disappointments."

"East Grand Rapids encouraged and supported my love of music, visual art and theatre. It taught me to pursue my goals with determination and focus. I am very thankful for the work ethic it instilled in me to always strive to be the best version of myself as possible."

 "[T]he value of hard work. My parents had instilled that in me from an early age, but I think it was reinforced at East. The other thing is the sense of community. I think that’s so important in East. I’ve always felt there were so many people in East who are there to support you. There have been many, many times over the years when I’ve had people tell me I couldn’t do something and there have always been people in East in my corner who believed that I could."

"In East, there is a feeling that everyone around you is capable of achieving anything, and the community - from teachers to parents to coaches - is very invested in creating a culture where students feel empowered to do big things. When I got to college, it was already very instilled in me that I absolutely could do anything I wanted, because everyone at home believed in us."