Shani Yapa-Kimpson

My Roeper Story is about how Roeper will always be home.

I remember the first day I visited Roeper, I was terrified of changing from my small Montessori school (even smaller than Roeper) to a larger middle school, and none of the other private schools I had toured felt like true fits. I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I first visited Nan’s homeroom. Upon entering the classroom, I was immediately greeted by Victoria Moore (a student in Nan’s class), whom I am good friends with to this day. After the initial few minutes of being the “new” kid, there was an overwhelming sense of familiarity, peace, and empowerment within the classroom and within minutes I knew that Roeper was the place for me. I felt as if it was a space in which I could grow.

A few months after beginning 6th grade, I remember Emery announcing the annual Wolverine trip was quickly approaching. I read the trip outline and the thought of being away from home was all just a little too much to comprehend, so I told my mom that I simply wasn’t going. Little did I know, that by joining the rest of my 6th grade class to Wolverine, I would have created lifelong friendships and relationships with teachers that many students in other schools simply don’t get the chance to experience. I remember like it was yesterday how Sheh Yi was a source of comfort in this unfamiliar event of camping and supported me so effortlessly that I am not even sure she knows how much of an impact she had on me at camp. This is just one small example of how fortunate I have been to experience Roeper. Teachers like Sheh Yi, Susan Knight, Sylvia Bell, Eulalia Ferrer, and Michelle Stamler were great comforts throughout my middle and high school experiences and have helped tremendously to build my self-esteem, character, and leadership skills and embrace my uniqueness within the community. I have carried these traits into my adult life – as a graduate student, wife, mother, daughter, and friend.

If Roeper couldn’t feel more like home – my family life has become an extension of The Roeper School. I am so grateful to have married my high school sweetheart, Joel Kimpson, a fellow Roeperian, and together we have decided to give our son, Carter, the same experience we gained while at Roeper. Today, I am happy to say that when I walk into the doors of Roeper as both a mother and employee, I can truly say I’m home. Roeper is such a beautiful place and I am so unbelievably happy I was able to thrive here. I wouldn’t be half of the person I am today without this place.

Thank you.

Shani Yapa-Kimpson, Class of 2008
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