JP Shaw '14

Published January, 2014

Hello. I’m JP Shaw, a senior here at Woodlawn. This is my 10th and final year at Woodlawn and I can say with true conviction that I could not have spent those ten years at a better institution. There’s absolutely no denying that Woodlawn has played a huge role in making me the person I am today (and I would totally hang out with me, so they must have done a good job.)

People are always shocked when I tell them how long I’ve been at Woodlawn, but it really is a pleasure coming to school each day. The teachers are incredible people, passionate about their subjects and eager to help you learn. The campus is beauty incarnate, and my fellow students ceased to be my classmates a long time ago. They’re my second family, and I’ll miss them dearly as I move into college.

I love the discussion-based learning that takes place, and with a class of 13, there’s no chance you’ll fall through the cracks.

My favorite part of the Woodlawn experience though, has got to be publications. I’ve been a co-editor of the Woodlawn Lamplighter for two years now and have been a contributing author for three. Through the newspaper and the blog I’ve really expanded as a writer, broadening my horizons to include all genres. I think I can best sum up the Woodlawn experience through a statement, a simple statement that I’ve always told people when asked why I like Woodlawn so much. “I know everyone’s name.”

I don’t yet know where I’m headed after I graduate, but whatever college I end up at, they’re going to have a hard time living up to Woodlawn.

JP, University of Pennsylvania '18, currently lives in NYC and is employed at Ropes & Gray LLP.