Savannah Everett ‘21
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hen it came time to choose a middle school, Savannah Everett already knew Bishop Dunne was home. She had grown up attending older sister Elyse Bryant’s ’12 many activities. “I can remember sitting in my stroller, watching my big sister at many different events. Bishop Dunne was a big part of my life long before I was old enough to become a student.” Savannah is one of 24 seniors in the class of 2021 who are 7-Year Advantage students – meaning they started Bishop Dunne in sixth grade and have continued through to graduation. The relationships she has cultivated during her tenure at Bishop Dunne have molded her mentally and spiritually, while preparing her for her future. During her seven years, she tried a little bit of everything on the path to finding her passions. “I tried it all, clubs, athletics, organizations, even dance, eventually narrowing down my true interests. Volunteering stood out at Bishop Dunne. I like helping others and seeing the impact of that help.” Her love of service is deeply ingrained in her. “In the late 1960s my grandmother started a pre-school in Plains, Georgia, for children who weren’t allowed to attend ‘regular’ school for reasons such as race or religion. She recognized a need, and she created a solution.” WWW.BDCS.ORG
A true community leader, Savannah is a dedicated member of Campus Ministry, African American Awareness (AAA), American Sign Language (ASL) as well as a member of National Honor Society, and Drama. Her dedication and excellence were recognized at Honors Convocation, where she received four Golden Falcons, Bishop Dunne’s highest recognition. She is also the Lead Student Ambassador and a multi-year performer with Strings Orchestra. In April, Savannah placed first in 5A Poetry performance category and second in 5A Prose performance in the TAPPS Academic State Competition. As the highest scoring student across all 5A Speech performance categories, Savannah was awarded the Virginia Wirth Award. “I’ve always loved any kind of speech competition and any way I can express myself through voice or written word.” Two years in a row, she won the Dallas Mavericks Black History Month writing contest. Her subjects? Furthering Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream and establishing community between races. Savannah’s favorite classes are English and Social Justice. An avid reader, she loves books with historical context. Her best-loved book, Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, greatly impacted her. Reynolds, who was the keynote speaker at Bishop Dunne’s Literary
Festival in 2019, was instrumental in her developing awareness. She had the honor of introducing Reynolds at LitFest that year and had the opportunity to tell him how impactful he had been to her development. Savannah will be attending St. John’s University in Queens, pursuing a degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Social Justice. She chose St. John’s because of her experience with ASL, and her interest in different ways people process information and communicate. “Communicating is done so many ways. Sign language is just another form of communication and a different way to express yourself.” Savannah has been accepted into the Ozanam Leadership Program at St. John’s. Working closely with dedicated faculty and administrators, Ozanam Scholars investigate and address real-world social justice issues, inspiring change throughout their college careers and beyond. There were more than 400 applicants for this prestigious program, and only 25 were admitted. When asked what she wanted to do after college, she stated, “Explore my options! I’d love to travel. Maybe a program and learning experience where I can move around to different places using my degree. Ultimately, I’d like to start my own clinic.” Without a doubt, Savannah Everett is a young woman to watch! JULY 2021
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