November 07, 2023
The following is the remarks delivered by Zuri Thomas as City Academy’s 25th Celebration Event on November 4, 2023.
‘I can be my best, by doing my best in everything I do.’ Those were a few of the words that were part of the pledge that I and the rest of the student body would say every day before classes started.
Good Evening! My name is Zuri Thomas. And MY journey began HERE.
In 2012 I graduated from City Academy, in 2018 I graduated from Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, and finally, in 2022, I graduated from Texas Christian University. GO FROGS!
When I entered City Academy, in the 3rd grade, I was a perfectionist. At first, it served me well, because it was the driving force behind my desire to exceed expectations in everything I did. For instance, I was the winner of the 3rd grade book reading contest for reading the most books, and had my name inscribed on a plaque in the library. I was selected to play the lead role of Macbeth, in our 4th grade re-enactment of Shakespeare’s play. I was chosen to be a student leader for our highly anticipated 3rd-grade camping trip. I was a Student Ambassador who gave school tours to visitors, and I had the honor of being chosen to be the youngest speaker on program at the Shakespeare Festival’s Tempest Ball in 2010.
Exceeding expectations became my norm, but all of a sudden that changed, when I failed a test for the very first time.
At that young age, to me, getting something wrong meant that I was failing. And I didn’t enjoy the thought of failing. But little did I know, I was in for a rude awakening! As I entered the upper grades I was challenged and it seemed that making mistakes became the norm and failing became more prevalent. In the 5th and 6th grades, I spent long nights studying for exams, thinking that I knew the information like the back of my hand, but would come to find out that apparently, I knew nothing at all! I cried about every little thing that I got wrong and when I say everything, I mean everything. After crying for hours over a failing grade, came the moments when my teachers, Mrs. Fennoy (back then known as Ms. Emerson) and Mr. Warr, forced me to get back up. Change my strategy. And try again. I learned how to be resilient. And that sometimes failing is okay, because you can build on failure and use it as a stepping stone. The lessons that I learned at City Academy prepared me as I journeyed West to Ram Nation… MICDS.
To be honest, when I entered the 7th grade at MICDS the work was a breeze. I knew how to do assignments that some of my peers had never heard of before; like how to annotate a novel. Thank you Mr. Warr! During my time at MICDS I had a lot of ‘highs’. I laughed a lot. I made great friendships, I passed classes with flying colors, I was a leader in the Black Student Union, I helped plan and facilitate diversity conferences and I felt the rush of becoming a two-time State champion in Track and Field.
Although my transition to MICDS was a breeze, as time went on, I was met with challenges that I would not have been prepared for, If I hadn’t learned the lessons I did at City Academy. I had a lot of ‘highs’ but I also had some ‘lows’. I cried……some more….and lost friendships. I failed some more tests and I missed two track seasons due to injuries. In those moments of adversity I was faced with the decision to keep going or to quit. In every situation, I chose to ‘get back up. Change my strategy. And try again.’ My mindset to endure when things got tough was cultivated at City Academy and not only transferred to my time at MICDS but also rose up as I journeyed South to Frog Country…TCU.
While at TCU, I fell in love with the warm temperature, and the D1 athletics, but I did NOT fall in love with my major. I was accepted into TCU as pre-business, however I quickly realized that it wasn’t for me. Imagine having your life planned out and suddenly everything changes….it can be terrifying. I was a 19-year-old, 2nd semester Freshman but felt like I was going through a midlife crisis! What if I didn’t get accepted into the new program that I wanted? What if I had to stay in the business program? I was in a state of disarray. However, that’s when I chose to ‘get back up. Change my strategy. And try again.’ I took a leap of faith and decided to apply to the Strategic Communications program. It was one of the best decisions I could have made, because my acceptance changed the trajectory of my life. For those who don’t know, Strategic Communications, also known as Strat Comm, is a combination of public relations, advertising and new media. I fell in love with the public relations side. My passion for PR opened doors for me to be accepted into TCU’s student-run public relations and advertising agency as Project Manager and Account Executive. And post TCU, it landed me an internship and Fellowship, with FleishmanHillard, prestigious global public relations agency.
Because of City Academy, doors of opportunity were opened to me. City Academy not only prepared me to be successful at the schools that I would attend thereafter, but 11 years later, I realize that they helped prepare me for life. Because I not only learned soft skills, such as time management and organizational skills, but I also learned how to advocate for myself and what it means to be a true leader. I’m happy that my journey began HERE.
In conclusion, I have to give thanks to God for directing my path and for guiding my educational journey.
Thank you to my parents for your continued love, investing in my education and for placing me in City Academy.
It was the late Mr. Mathews and Mr. Danforth’s vision that started it all. Thanks for Ms. Tyson’s Standards, for Ms. Nikki’s Leadership, for Ms. Taylor’s Nurture, Mr. Taylor’s Passion, Ms. Bugnitz’s dedication, Ms. Fennoy’s care and Mr. Warr’s PUSH. Thank you to ALL of my teachers and mentors who I had HERE, for challenging me to be my best.
Finally, thank you to Mr. Danforth, for having and fulfilling the vision to develop a community that transforms the lives of students and their families, by affording them with a high-quality education. On behalf of all current students, faculty & staff, alumni and more, we truly do thank you.