This year has brought in an incredibly unique and diverse group of freshmen to MLWGS! After just a month of school, the Class of 2027 are already involving themselves in multiple activities and have big dreams for their years to come at Maggie Walker. Speaking with some of these new Dragons has brought insight on how their first few weeks here at the Governor’s School have been. 

Nathan D’Souza comes to Maggie Walker with an incredible achievement from this past summer. He and the Richmond Kickers U14 team brought home a national title in the ECNL R Finals in Norco, California, and D’Souza scored the game-winning goal. Reliving that moment, D’Souza said that “it was probably one of the craziest moments of [his] life,” and that it also was “such a great moment for the whole team.” When asked about his future plans for soccer, D’Souza said that he “hope[s] to get offers” and play college soccer. 

Off the field, D’Souza participates in robotics and Model UN. So far, D’Souza has been appreciating the “freedom” at Maggie Walker, such as eating lunch anywhere in the school. He’s looking forward to his next four years and wants to try photography classes in the future. Right now, D’Souza already has pretty big ambitions. He and a classmate, Aishu Kapila, are running as freshman class co-presidents.

Angel Zhu also has many plans for her years to come at Maggie Walker. In these past few weeks, Zhu found it surprising that she “found a lot of people that were really similar to [her],” despite thinking she wouldn’t meet any others like her. So far, she’s been enjoying her language classes and her lunch-time freedom within the building. This year, she’s excited to meet new friends and familiarize herself with the school. As for extracurriculars, she currently participates in Model UN and dances and swims outside of school. Overall, she has really been enjoying Maggie Walker.

For Miranda Zhang, the most enjoyable thing about Maggie Walker so far has also been the freedom. According to her, “There’s just so much stuff I can do!” Another plus in her eyes is the school spirit. Zhang said, “I’m also really enjoying the school spirit. We’re one big family here.” In terms of her future at Maggie Walker, she mentioned that she was “really excited about the freshmen lock-in,” and that she “wants to try taking Engineering in the future.” Zhang has already begun joining clubs such as Model UN, and is a member of the cross country team. She added, “I’m thinking about trying out for the dance team next year, too.” 

With an incoming class full of such driven, involved, and eager students, the future of Maggie Walker looks bright. We can’t wait to see what the Class of 2027 has in store. Go Dragons!