The Impact of Your Annual Fund Gift
EVERY GIFT SUPPORTS A BERKSHIRE EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING THAT OF GILLIAN MAHER '21
"As a member of the girls varsity hockey team, Gillian leads by example. She comes to the rink each day, whether it be practice or a game, and is prepared. Not once have we ever had to remind her to work harder.
Both on and off the ice, she adds a unique and kind dynamic to the team and is respected by her teammates and coaches, alike."
—Lisa Marshall, Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Coach
Meet Gillian Maher, a fifth-form student from Pearl River, NY. Before she arrived at Berkshire, the joy Gillian once experienced in school was missing. "Berkshire has helped me rediscover my love for learning. I used to love to go to school, but I lost the passion in the seventh and eighth grades. Once I adjusted to life at Berkshire, I was excited to go to my classes again every day and enjoyed new experiences."
Inspired by her teachers and her classes, Gillian has thrived academically, and her presence in the classroom has served to heighten the level of learning for her peers. In the words of her third-form math teacher, Ms. Wheeler, "Gillian has the amazing ability to balance her intellectual capacity with playfulness and curiosity. She is an outstanding example of what it looks like to enjoy learning."
While Gillian made clear Berkshire's influence on her, her impact on Berkshire is equally profound. In addition to taking a dynamic and challenging academic course load, Gillian is a talented varsity field and ice hockey player, sings a cappella with Ursa Minor, plays the cello in the Chamber Ensemble, served as a Green Key tour guide, and is a good friend to her peers. She is a high honors student and in her free time further explores her love of music in Benson Commons.
The Annual Fund allows students like Gillian to have access to this once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity. They soak up everything Berkshire has to offer and give back to the School in more ways than we can imagine.
"Being a Berkshire student means being able to celebrate others' successes. Everyone here is so supportive of their peers and really reflects the idea of 'we before me.'"
—Gillian Maher '21