Senior Julian Sun has spent nearly four years becoming an integral part of the Olney Friends School community. Possessing a natural charisma with a diverse set of skills and talents, Julian has embraced his role as a student leader and mentor. For those who know him, it’s hard to imagine that Julian’s Olney experience almost never happened.
“Well, my admissions process is kind of weird,” Julian said. “I started out coming here for Friends Music Camp, because every summer from the age of nine I have been attending three different music camps.”
After finishing camp in the summer of 2012, Julian decided (while waiting at the airport) that he wanted to attend Olney instead of returning home. He had spent several summers becoming familiar with Olney’s campus and some of its staff and was excited to study in an open and welcoming learning community. Attending Olney would also make him eligible for funding from his local Friends meeting.
“The Quaker Meeting I attend (Honolulu Friends Meeting) gives me a scholarship because they wanted me to attend a Friends school,” Julian said. “Also, the community over the summer (at Friends Music Camp) was a little different than Olney, but a lot of the values are the same. It allowed you to be comfortable being yourself without having to worry about being judged or put down for your differences.”
His mother approved the decision and he stayed with a friend from camp while completing the admissions process. A few weeks later, Julian began an Olney student journey that concludes this May. During his time at the school, Julian has served as a dorm governor and admissions ambassador and has also played live music at numerous events on and off campus. Recently, he gave a violin performance during the Barnesville Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon and was a member of the Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra.
While he has grown and matured to become a natural leader on campus, Julian feels that the school community has grown alongside him over the past several years.
“At this point, I feel more ownership of the school. Before, we still had a really good community, but it felt like
something I didn’t really have much control over, but rather I was just part of,” Julian said. “Now, I feel I play a big part in shaping how the community turns out. There’s a progression from my freshman year because I’m comfortable in the role of being a leader and an innovator now.”
As the year winds down, Julian is looking forward to spending time with his friends and finalizing his college plans. He has applied to Earlham College, Haverford College, Oberlin College, Washington University in St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon University and hopes to study either music or computer science.
