Humans of Baldwin: The Experiences of a Baldwin Lifer: Riya Rao ‘25
Riya Rao ‘25 shares the experience of attending Baldwin for nearly her entire life.
Image courtesy of Claudia Kim ‘25
Riya Rao in 10th grade next to a miniature model of the Residence.
Imagine attending the same school for 14 years from Pre-K all the way to 12th grade. That will be reality for Riya Rao ‘25, who is one of four 14-year-club “lifers” in the sophomore class, currently in their 12th year at Baldwin. Experiencing the ECC, Lower, Middle, and Upper School is quite different from many of those who came in Middle School and Upper School. Rao shares the unique perspective of growing up at Baldwin.
How do you feel about being a lifer at Baldwin? Have you ever felt that being at Baldwin for too long has made school more repetitive or is it more nostalgic?
I feel like being at Baldwin my whole life has only made my school experience more nostalgic. Whenever I’m at school, there are so many things that remind me of my Lower School and ECC days. Especially since a lot of my teachers and friends from preschool and lower [school] are still here, it’s really special because I feel some sort of a connection to the community.
Have you ever wanted to switch schools and experience what a coed or public school would be like?
I think that once in a while. I wonder about switching schools just to feel what it’s like to have a brand new experience, but I think that Baldwin has always felt like home, so it just feels weird to change.
How has being a lifer affected your relationship with your peers? I know that being friends with someone for almost your whole life and being friends with someone who just came this year would be very different.
Even though I’m still friends with the people I’ve known since Pre-K but left Baldwin, there are only three other people in the 14-year club. However, I feel like there’s also a sense of community and solidarity between us four because we’ve been through this whole Baldwin experience together.
If you were able to choose, would you rather be a lifer or would you like to have come to Baldwin later?
Even though sometimes I think about what it would be like to go to a different school, I wouldn’t want to change my experience. I’ve found such an amazing community through this school. All the students and faculty are such an amazing part of Baldwin, and by being here for 14 years, I get to really experience the Baldwin community in a unique way.
