This week, Chatteria Harris, recent graduate and 2012 salutatorian from Holy Family School in North Lawndale, will become a freshman at Culver Academy. The boarding school, located on the beautiful Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Indiana, may seem like an unexpected choice for a 13 year-old. However, after attending Philips Exeter Summer Academy in New Hampshire last summer, Terri knows that Culver is the right choice. Her endlessly supportive mother, Carmita, agrees, “Not many parents feel comfortable letting their children leave to go to school, but I know that Terri is mature enough to go and take care of herself. For both of us, we know the sacrifice [of leaving] is for the greater reward in the future.” Terri adds on, “When I first went to Exeter, I cried for the first week I was there. But when I had to leave, I cried even harder.”

Her experience at Exeter was eye opening. Rooming with a young Korean-American student was a great experience. Exeter boasts enrollment from 48 states of the US and eight countries. At Exeter, students spend their time in self-selected classes based on one of six themes. At Culver Academy, Terri is excited to take classes in physics, kinesiology, humanities, algebra and dance.