STORIES OF GROWTH 2022 TRANSITION CEREMONY SPEAKER

Ari Poras returned to Keswick School on June 24 as the Transition Speaker for the 2022 Transition Ceremony. Ari is an alumnus of Keswick School who attended from November, 2014 to June, 2017.

Ari is a wonderful representative of Keswick School students who find themselves and learn to use their gifts and skills to be successful in their educational and career goals.

Ari transitioned from Keswick School to Lawrence Academy. He currently attends the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as a nursing major and is completing his paramedic certification. Ari aspires to be an EMT for a helicopter ambulance service.

Some of Ari’s best attributes are leadership and personal engagement. He is an excellent speaker and inspired us as the 2022 Transition Ceremony speaker.

“I came to TKS as a struggling 15-year-old. I never did well in school. I had a poor relationship with my family and I was never able to make friends. I wanted to fit in and be normal. I didn’t think it was possible for me to live a successful life. It took a whole team of Keswick School magicians to get me rolling in the right direction.”

“Upon transitioning, one of my first concerns was what will everyone think when they find out I went to a therapeutic boarding school. Your identity is not ‘the weird therapeutic boarding school kid,’ but rather, you have worked hard and been given tools so people can see you as you.”

Ari’s advice to the new transitioning students was:

• Find a system that works for you.

• Change as many things as you can to help with your success.

• Take care of the little things, because it makes it easier to deal with the big ones.

• Find someone who will hold you accountable when you make mistakes.

• Find something that interests you and keeps you busy.

—Ari Poras, Class of 2017