Hannah Goor

Though I did not graduate from Roeper, I have always felt part of the Roeper family. I went to Roeper from Stage II through the middle of tenth grade, when my parents and I packed up and moved to Washington, D.C. My family has always kept in touch with old friends and teachers from Roeper. When Emery and Linda Pence did their tour of the East Coast, I met up with them in Philadelphia, which is where I now live. It has been wonderful to be included in these types of events and to still feel part of what had such an influence on my childhood. After moving to D.C., my family and I struggled to make friends. The parents of my new classmates did not seem interested in connecting, and I had a hard time finding accepting peers. I look back on my time at Roeper and think, “How lucky for me and my family that we had caring people surrounding us for so long.” Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to be part of such a group. I may not keep in close contact with the friends I grew up with at Roeper, but I think there is still something special about being able to say “Oh, we’ve known each other since kindergarten.” I cannot say for sure if I would have stayed closer to my classmates had my family not moved away, but I do know that growing up with them showed me what true, long-lasting friendships are like.

Hannah Goor, Class of 2008*