P
ETER JENKINS ’91 and his mother moved from New Rochelle, New York to a farm in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains when Peter was nine years old. The only child of a single mom, Peter was a city boy in the country. A black kid with a white mom. A northerner in the South. When Peter was ready for high school, concerned about the quality of the local public schools, his mom suggested boarding school. The minute he stepped onto the St. Andrew’sSewanee campus, Peter knew it was the right place for him. Although it was no longer the school of the Brothers of the Holy Cross, Peter was like many of the boys who had come to St. Andrew’s before him – an Appalachian farm kid without a father in his life. He just happened to be an Appalachian farm kid who had started his life in the suburbs of New York City. Peter threw himself into life at SAS. He developed a rich network of friends. He ran cross country, wrestled, enjoyed rock climbing, and immersed himself in the arts program, especially ceramics. He loved the small school setting and the opportunity to get to know his teachers outside of the classroom. When his senior year came, he hoped to continue his education at a college with a similar type of intimate community. He sought a college that would allow him to continue to pursue a well-balanced education that involved academic, arts, athletics, and the outdoors. He was happy to find that, like SAS, Williams College fostered deep connections between students and teachers and valued a well-rounded educational experience. “Many of my college classmates struggled with their newfound independence,” remembers Peter. “Because I had been a
20 · St. Andrew’s-Sewanee Magazine · Fall 2019
