As we embark on our strategic plan, Latin Leads, it is exciting to think about how our goals not only shape the future but embrace “what we do best” from the past. We have been charged to consider what traits a “Latin graduate embodies as they earn their diploma and walk across the stage.” In the many design days and break-out sessions, I have witnessed the good work of our faculty, staff, administrators, and current students. They all rank communication skills, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking skills as traits that describe a Latin graduate. The conversations have been rich and complicated at the same time. Some believe we should embrace words like warrior, advocate, and navigator—while others like the words scholars, do-gooders, and artists. At times, the banter has been lively and at times divergent. As we work hard to identify words and behaviors that can be observed from Lower School to Upper School, we definitely have had to land on some timeless terms that are applicable to both a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old.  

Interestingly enough, my conversation with a recent gathering of alums was much more straightforward. In January, I was lucky enough to meet a group of Charlotte Latin graduates in New York for breakfast. The alums represented four decades of students and all were successful professionals or students thriving in the Big Apple. It was a morning crowd, all bright-eyed and eager to be together. Over eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and lots of coffee, I asked the question, “What one word describes a Latin graduate?”

Within seconds they answered, almost in unison. 

“Prepared,” they said. They backed up their point with excellent supporting details, as a good Latin student would do. They were prepared for a rigorous academic life after high school. They were prepared to enter the workforce and be successful. And, in both college and afterward, they were really, really good at time management. 

“Latin got us ready.” 

There was much head nodding among the group, as they lapsed into one funny story after another about what went along with their incredible preparation. They told playground stories, teacher stories, friend stories. They asked questions about traditions and they wanted to know all about admissions. What struck me about my conversation with these graduates was how aligned they were about how prepared they were and how capable they felt. It was as if, all those years ago, they walked across that stage at graduation and knew they had what it took to succeed.