Alumni

When Emma Brinkley joined Friends School in 2008 as a 1st grade student, she didn’t foresee herself as a ceramics artist or as an aspiring art teacher. In fact, Emma's first encounter with ceramics isn’t quite what you would expect: “I was really bad at it," she chuckles. “Like, really bad. You can't fake it when your pottery keeps turning out wonky.” But rather than shying away, Emma dove headfirst into the challenge, determined to conquer the art form that initially eluded her. Today, she celebrates the opening of A Little Twisted Studio, a pottery business that she runs alongside her mother, Lori Brinkley, a therapist who practices in the same space. For both Emma and Lori, the studio is more than a business; it's a community—a place where artists and soul-seekers come together to create and grow, uplifting one another no matter their stage in life.

We Zoomed with Arden Lumpkin—FSW class of 2015 and newly minted alumna of NC State—to talk all things environmental education. Lumpkin, who graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minor in Biological Sciences, narrates her journey from a dirt-loving Lower Schooler to a science communicator and the importance of public education on climate topics; plus, how the Quaker values of stewardship and community guided her along the way.

As part of WILMA’s new Future Leaders initiative, which focuses on high school and middle school teens, they recently selected the 2022-2023 Future Leaders class. The group of sixteen 11th graders from schools throughout the region work with their mentors throughout the year, participate in the Future Leaders Fest, and attend Women to Watch Leadership Initiative events. Two of our very own FSW grads--Sophia Rouse and Dylan Schmidt (class of 2020) were part of the inaugural class. Read what leadership looks like and means to them in their own words.

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, people have been quarantining and spending more time than ever at home--but more specifically, in their kitchens. Both professional chefs and home cooks alike have rediscovered the joys of experimenting with what they have available on hand. Here, Camille Bourne (class of 2011) collected recipes to release the The Quarantine Cookbook in support of The Okra Project.

A passion for high quality whiskey and pension for chemistry jumpstarted Nick Scarff's (class of 2006) career as a product developer for major spirits brands. Most recently, he started his own consulting business and joined Next Century Spirits--a Raleigh based technology startup--as Master Blender and VP of Business Development.