Alumni Spotlight: Kiera Caffrey '21

While these positions provided Kiera with opportunities to immediately serve the St. Timothy’s community, she recognizes that leadership is less about a title and more about the ability to listen to others and positively impact the community with innovative thinking. This understanding began in her Sixth Grade leadership class. 

“The biggest thing I learned at Calvert was to put ideas into action,” Kiera shared. This was put to the test last year when she and her peers at St. Timothy’s decided to host a food drive. Kiera was well versed in running a food drive from her time at Calvert, but it was a new initiative for St. Timothy’s since the student body is primarily made up of boarding students. Kiera encouraged her peers to think outside the box, and they quickly discovered that most students actually had items in their dorms that they would be willing to donate.

Building on her Calvert foundation, St. Timothy’s felt like the natural next step in large part because of the International Baccalaureate program. The essay-based curriculum requires students to explain their thinking. Kiera believes Calvert teachers fostered her ability to think critically, listen, and empathize with others. As a member of the Middle School Diversity Club, Kiera says she regularly engaged in conversations with her peers and learned to approach these discussions with understanding, curiosity, and empathy. She now applies these skills at St. Timothy’s where she helped bring the Narrative Four program to the School. The program promotes empathy through conversations and story exchange. Kiera serves as one of six student facilitators.

The future is bright for Kiera, and she hopes it includes a career in finance. She participated in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition this year. Part of the Wharton Global Youth Program, this investment simulation teaches students about risk, industry analysis and diversification while promoting teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. Kiera and the team from St. Timothy’s finished in the top 20% of participants. Her goal is to continue building the team throughout the next two years.

This year, Kiera serves as the high school representative on the Calvert Alumni Board where she helps inform engagement with young alumni. “I’m not ready to leave the community,” she shared.