Speyer Students Awarded the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship!

It's our immense thrill to announce news that two Speyer eighth graders Landon I. and Baxter O. were both awarded the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship! The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship is the only merit-based, need-blind scholarship recognizing exceptional academic achievement. As winners, they receive a prestigious four-year scholarship that covers full high school tuition.

This national award program was founded 24 years ago by the Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA), a nonprofit dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of the nation’s gifted and advanced learners. This year, there are 26 Caroline D. Bradley Scholars (selected from applicants from across the nation) and the scholars benefit from ongoing, personalized counseling and educational advocacy provided by the IEA (you can find a list of the scholars here).

Landon and Baxter are Speyer's fifth and sixth Caroline D. Bradley Scholars from Speyer, joining previous recipients Thisbe Wu '18, Stella Nakada '19, Francesca Burnett '21, and Una Joy Hornick '24.

When the news was announced, we reached out to the folks from the IEA and, as you may be thinking, it is indeed quite rare to have TWO scholars named from the same school during the same year. This is just a testament to the talent and passion of our Dragons!

During the start of their very busy Eighth Grade year, Baxter and Landon took time to talk with us about their amazing achievement!

The application process is quite intense. It starts in Seventh Grade and includes writing essays, taking standardized tests, providing work samples, participating in multiple rounds of interviews, and more. Tell us how it was for you and how your Speyer experiences helped with it?

Baxter: It was somewhat stressful but also fun because I really like writing essays. Speyer has taught us how to communicate with people and work with others (of course, along with teaching us a lot more). With lots of writing assignments and the many times we present our work in class, Speyer gave us opportunities to practice everything that was a part of the process.

Landon: I agree! It was a cool process, but rigorous especially with the multiple essays and the testing, things of that sort. I am especially thankful that Speyer helped me learn time management skills. There were a lot of moving parts to the application process and it was imperative to know when to do what. My experiences at Speyer have definitely helped me learn how to be – and stay – organized.

How do you think Speyer helped you become who you are?

Baxter: I think Speyer has helped me become who I am, especially how I connect with people. It has also improved my teamwork skills. We have a small grade, and there are a lot of projects where you work in groups. You have to be open to working on new things and sometimes with people you are not as close with. 

Landon: I think Speyer has helped me find a way to let out my thoughts. I have so much going on in my head at once, so many deep things, and Speyer has given me the words that I wouldn't have found otherwise. Being at Speyer has helped nurture my creativity in a truly impactful way.

What are you going to miss most about Speyer?

Landon: I'm going to miss the people — I have known some of the people for nine years! When you know someone for that long, they feel like family and when you lose family, you lose a part of you. My time at Speyer has been one of the biggest parts of my life that I will cherish forever.

Baxter: I agree with him — I will miss the community and the friendships here at Speyer. I was and am friends with people in grades above and below me. When I was in Lower School, I felt like eighth graders were so kind to me and so welcoming. It is great fun to be one of those people now.

What are you most excited about exploring in high school?

Landon: I'm very excited to continue pursuing musical theater and dabbling in other theater activities such as playing in the pit orchestra or doing technical theater. I'm also looking forward to branching off into other clubs, maybe doing more Makers-type things!

Baxter: I'm excited to delve into more complex literature and high school english courses. I'm also excited for the opportunity to make movies and study filmmaking. I love making movies and though Speyer doesn't have a film lab, I do remember our Kindergarten class making a film of the Odyssey downstairs in the basement with a green screen!

Anything else you would like to add?

Landon: I'm going to miss Speyer! My Speyer experience has been so, so fun — when I go to high school, I'm going to miss so many people.

Baxter: I wish Speyer had a high school…it would be cool to do high school at Speyer.

All of us at Speyer congratulate Landon and Baxter! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see where your next adventures will take you!