Aspiring Neurosurgeon is National Merit Semifinalist
Jamie Sokoloff’s '21 teachers describe her as bright and highly motivated. Those adjectives definitely fit this high performer who has her plate full with extracurriculars.
Jamie, who dreams of being a surgeon, says she is fascinated by the brain and the way modern engineering can make major advancements in neurological injuries. Jamie has always favored math and science, but the main event that solidified her desire to one day make a career out of it was Hutchison’s career shadow day where she shadowed a renowned neurosurgeon at Semmes-Murphy. “I was able to witness first-hand how grateful each patient was for the doctor, and the fascinating cases pulled me into the field of neurosurgery,” Jamie said. “Since then, I have known I want to study neuroscience in college and attend medical school.” Jamie also attended Duke University’s summer program, Innovations in Medical Care. There, she had the opportunity to delve deeper into learning about medicine by visiting a cadaver lab as well as experience the group research process. Her research group focused on neuroprosthesis.
This past summer, Jamie participated in a virtual program with the University of Chicago that allowed her to work with different software programs that focused on molecular cloning, gene expression and sequencing, and amplifying DNA. “During this program I had to learn to figure things out on my own,” Jamie said. “For our experiment proposal, there were no guidelines, so I had to think outside the box to come up with ideas. Considering I have never designed my own experiment, much less completed one of that complexity, I learned a lot by having to make sure every detail of our experiment was provided in our proposal.”
In addition to being an aspiring neurosurgeon, Jamie is a talented equestrian. She has been riding horses since second grade and volunteers at Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy. “When I get to the barn, I am able to leave all the stress from school and other aspects of my life behind because I know my horse does not care about whether a project did not go as planned or how I did on a test,” Jamie said. “Every other part of my life pauses while I am at the barn, and it provides me with a much-needed break from the rest of my life.”
At Hutchison, Jamie is the president of Global Ambassadors, a student group that tackles social ills on a macro level, and is the co-vice president of Wilson Society, a group that allows Hutchison girls to create structured leadership projects to improve their local community. She is also a member of Model United Nations, the honor council, and the service-learning council. “From my membership in clubs including Global Ambassadors and Wilson Society, I have enjoyed being able to expand my horizons and broaden my perspective,” Jamie said. “It would be incredibly easy to stay in my own ‘bubble’ and only worry about what directly affects me, but through these clubs, I am able to learn more about the world and use my privilege to serve others.”
She is the recipient of the Harvard University Book Award, a highly selective honor for outstanding students who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and achievement in service and leadership. She is also a member of the Certificate of Science program, Mu Alpha Theta, and National Spanish Honor Society.
"I think my time in France, which is what I credit for my love of wines, ties back to taking French classes at Hutchison,” Katie Griesbeck ’96 said. “We started French in junior kindergarten and took classes until about sixth grade. I elected to pick it back up when I was in high school, and it set me up to be a Francophile for life. I loved the language, and that’s what inspired me to go to the Burgundy region of France when I was in college."
For the first time in school history, Hutchison's varsity basketball team won the TSSAA DII-AA state championship after defeating Knoxville Catholic 41-34.
Victoria Martin ’21 wants to be able to reflect on her more than 12 years at Hutchison and know that she did what she could to make things easier for black students who came after her. Victoria was one of six seniors who participated in a candid panel about race relations this week at Hutchison to commemorate Black History Month. The other students were seniors Nia Drayton, Dakota Shelton, Camilla Johnson, Kiya Brown, and Micah Watkins.
The University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars program is recognized as one of the two leading scholarship programs in the country. Out of more than 2,000 nominations from around the world, approximately 120 finalists are selected after rigorous regional competitions and interviews.
She has a full plate of academics, volunteer work, leadership responsibilities, and extracurriculars, and she has the work ethic to succeed in anything she puts her mind to. She credits Hutchison for instilling in her that anything is possible.
As with many academic adventures at Hutchison, a weeklong lesson on computer science and coding transformed into an interdisciplinary exploration for our girls as teachers from various subjects incorporated coding activities into their day-to-day lessons.
It's all about mental toughness... How you rise to accept a new challenge after you fall down. Make no mistake, these Hutchison girls are in it to win it this year.
This might seem like a silly question: Are you a dog person or a cat person? Why? Now imagine you’re a dog lover and you can’t understand the enthusiasm of a cat aficionado. Or vice versa. Suppose you have to explain your passion for your favorite pet to a person who disagrees with you. How do you communicate your beliefs civilly?
When Leah Grace Wolf is not thinking about solving a science problem or tinkering with a new invention, you can find her at the mixed martial arts gym, thinking about next steps to overpower her opponent. This National Merit Commended Student is the epitome of a Hutchison girl who enjoys exploring a variety of interests.
When Ms. Prewitt’s Pre-Kindergarten class went to the farm recently to look at carrots they had planted, Mrs. Riddle, the director of environmental education and sustainability, was in a bit of a pickle. She said she desperately needed help with her crop of cucumbers.
An outstanding student, avid reader, star volleyball player, and strong leader, Layla Truitt lives up to the Hutchison mission of showing girls they can go anywhere they can imagine.
Sophie Mansour ’21 wants to help young people see diseases and their impact more clearly. Whether it is a classmate with diabetes or asthma, or a family member with Alzheimer’s, Sophie believes everyone would benefit from a deeper understanding. So she created the Memphis Medical Awareness Club at Hutchison, and that’s just the beginning for this conscientious entrepreneur.
Think of them as warm-up stretches – for the brain. Each one of Joe Koelsch’s 7th grade math lessons begins with a “bell ringer.” It encourages the girls to “open up their brains” before class, he says.
Jamie Sokoloff’s '21 teachers describe her as bright and highly motivated. Those adjectives definitely fit this high performer who has her plate full with extracurriculars.
At Hutchison, a girl can explore her unique place in the world through the wonder of art. We're making sure that tradition continues, even in a pandemic.
Juniors and seniors in Deborah Brown’s Women’s History class commemorated Women’s Equality Day with a video confirming that their generation is a force to be reckoned with.
Celia Economides ’97 is well acquainted with persistence. As an executive at a biotech company in San Francisco, persistence is a trait that comes in handy. Fostering the development of new drugs for rare diseases often requires soliciting millions of dollars in investments, decades of trial and error in the labs, and lots and lots of patience.
Caroline Halliday '21 had her Hutchison social science certificate project all planned out. She wanted to start a Community Supported Agriculture vegetable subscription service for Hutchison families, but with a pay-it-forward twist: for every one purchased by a Hutchison family, she would provide one for a family in need in Memphis. Then the pandemic hit, and her plans got turned upside down.