Making Room for Others

Everett Lo ’26 and his parents Kevin and Brenda Lo P’26,’28 are from Menlo Park, California and were drawn to Cardigan by the alpine ski program. Everett’s brother Eliott ’28 attends Cardigan and is also member of the ski team.

Emily Magnus: Do you remember your first day on campus? 

Everett: I remember it rained that night before dinner. There was thunder, like really heavy thunder and lightning, so they had to shuttle us over to the dining hall from McCusker. I remember it was kind of scary, but at the same it was kind of comforting because I was in a group with everyone together, and you could just feel it; there was a strong bond forming between everyone. 

Kevin: Did you build boats? [Cardigan holds a Cardboard Boat Regatta each year during the first week of school. Each dorm is responsible for building a boat and selecting one student to captain it. Points are scored by the dorm that finishes with the fastest time…and without sinking!] 

Everett: No, boat day was the second day. We were just working on our boats in our free time. We did do pretty well. I think we got fourth overall. I was the one who paddled the boat. No one else wanted to get soaked. Then I did it again this year because no one else wanted to go again. We’re a very small dorm, so our boat was not very well made. We didn’t really have enough cardboard, so it sunk. 

Kevin: Brenda, what surprised you about Cardigan? 

Brenda: I think there were two things. First, we were very surprised by how supportive all the adults on campus were—seeing them in action, academically and also in athletics and dorm living. It was a pleasant surprise even though we kind of expected it. And then secondly, we collectively as a family chose Cardigan because of its combination of athletics and strong academics. We thought it was going to be a great combination. And even then, we were surprised by how robust the academic offerings were. We’ve seen the classes Cardigan offers and how the teachers teach.

Emily: Everett, how would you describe yourself as a student, and has that changed? 

Everett: When I started out, I think I had a lot of knowledge, but I never really had the best study habits. I also was always trying to dominate conversations. I wasn’t really giving other people room to express their ideas. 

Brenda: Say more about the learning. 

Everett: I’m not getting as distracted. Before, I didn’t study that much, but now I’m good at focusing, turning on my brain when I really need it, managing my energy throughout. 

Kevin: Say more about your interactions in the classroom. 

Everett: I was the kid at the front of the classroom who answered everything. But now I make room for other people. I’m able to understand other people’s ideas and opinions, and now we’re able to all talk together. 

Brenda: I think we were also very impressed with how Everett managed his life here, because he has a lot of interests. It’s a skill that I think we all can benefit from—working with different people, different schedules, different expectations, and time management. You have to focus on one thing, and then you have to turn your focus on something else. I think that surprised me a bit to what extent Everett can manage his own life. 

The key is you need to have faculty members you can trust, that you’re able to go to one-on-one to just talk about the things you’re angry about. And they’ll give you advice about things. I think that’s one of the most important things you can do here at Cardigan is build relationships with the faculty. You can have this deep support network.- Everett Lo ’26

Emily: Everett, how have you chosen to be involved in the Cardigan community, and how has that impacted you? 

Everett: I joined NJHS [National Junior Honor Society] two years ago. I’ve continued doing a lot of service, helping organize a lot of events, trying to make sure everyone’s having a good time. I’ve also been trying to mentor and take care of a lot of the newer, younger students. I didn’t get a titled leadership position, so I’ve been trying to continue working from there. I also do a lot of the plays and have been in a bunch of the concerts. I co-founded the Debate Club with my friends a couple of years ago, and we’ve been running that for a while. We’re hoping to pass that off to some other guys for next year. 

Emily: Which of those activities do you feel has been the most impactful for you? 

Everett: I think the plays really opened my eyes. I acted for the first time in seventh grade, and I was super nervous. I thought I was going to embarrass myself. But I didn’t, and people were very supportive in the audience. It’s been a lot of fun. 

Emily: Would you be willing to talk a little bit more about not getting a leadership position and how you worked through that? 

Everett: It was pretty tough for a few days. I was really down because I had always wanted a leadership title; but I was able to regroup over the summer. When I came back in the fall, I was thinking, “I’m still a ninth grader, I’m still experienced.” I became a Big Brother, and I tried to meet a bunch of new kids and push them in the right direction to do things—get out of their rooms, off their computers. It was just a matter of figuring out how to take negative feedback. Are you going to be down about it? Or are you going to take it and try to be better? 

 

Emily: Can you talk a little bit about your experience here with skiing? It sounds like that was part of your decision as a family to come to Cardigan. How has that worked out? 

Everett: It’s worked out pretty well, I’d say. I’ve continued to improve. I finished in the top 20 in GS at U16 Easterns this year. Back home, I would mainly spend weekends skiing—trying to get there on Fridays to train and race. But at Cardigan, there’s a connection you build when you’re living with your teammates and coaches. The team aspect is a lot bigger here. 

Brenda: The coaching is really strong and very focused on individuals. There’s development in a lot of the bigger programs, but the coaches don’t know the kids as well. The coaches at Cardigan are also dorm parents and some of them are teachers, so it’s a different dynamic. The coaches are also a very big part of the community. 

Kevin: Your mom and I, we know you’ve had a lot of setbacks along the way—injuries, races that didn’t go well. You’ve handled the disappointments really well. What advice would you give to people who are also struggling through failures and disappointments? What advice would you give to students here? 

Everett: The key is you need to have faculty members you can trust, that you’re able to go to one-on-one to just talk, and they’ll give you advice. I think that’s one of the most important things you can do here at Cardigan is build relationships with the faculty. You can have a deep support network. 

Brenda: We’re glad that we found Cardigan. It’s a leap of faith to send your kids across the country in seventh grade. In our case, our vision panned out even better than we expected. There’s something special, some secret sauce, here in this community that’s been going on for many years. 

Kevin: How prepared do you feel? Are you ready for St. Paul’s? 

Everett: I think I’m ready. I feel a lot more prepared than if I was coming into high school without having gone to Cardigan. 

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