“I’ve learned to trust in the process, trust in my faith ... not be too much of a perfectionist. Enjoy the little things in life that make me happy that I used to overlook, and probably many people overlook.”

We recently caught up with senior Shamyra Glenn, who has shown a passion for giving back. Last summer as a Norton Fellow, she distributed care packages for mothers and infants at a church in Bloomfield, Conn. The Norton Fellows program offers a selected group of Loomis Chaffee students the opportunity and funding to pursue an interest and engage with their local communities over the summer break. In December, again with support from the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, she held a toy drive at the church. The drive was an event with decorations, food, and holiday music. She said she had some leftover toys, so she went to the Shoppes at Buckland Hills mall in Manchester on Christmas Eve to distribute them. “I love helping others,” she said. “It started at a young age, volunteering at the church food pantry, and I found myself looking for other ways to give back.”

Year: Senior

Hometown: Manchester, Conn.

Clubs/activities: President of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter; treasurer of Pelican Service Organization (PSO); music mentor; Success, Opportunity, Access, Resilience (SOAR) mentor; Learning Access and Student Achievement (LASA) study hall proctor; violinist in the Orchestra; working toward a Global & Environmental Studies Certificate (GESC); writes and edits for MedEd, an online student publication focusing on public health and medicine; Norton Fellow.

Memorable assignment: College-Level U.S. History final paper “on racism in health care” on the Civil War battlefields. Shamyra says she wants to be a doctor and work toward health equity.

Favorite place on campus: Outside in the quads. “I love the sun; it makes me happy. Doing work outside is motivating, inspiring, just a different feeling.”

Favorite meal: Lasagna, garlic bread, salad.

What’s something people might not know about you? “I enjoy crafts and being creative. ... I recently started to learn how to knit.” She also enjoys cooking and baking.

How she has changed since being a freshman: “I’ve learned to trust in the process, trust in my faith ... not be too much of a perfectionist. Enjoy the little things in life that make me happy that I used to overlook, and probably many people overlook.”

Would you rather live in the past or future? “The past to experience the times that my parents and grandparents and beyond lived. I could see the shortcomings, and what I could do to improve the future. Going to the future sounds a little scary because I don’t know what is to come.”

On being a border: Shamyra came to Loomis as a sophomore and was a day student her first two years. As a senior she is a boarder in Howe Hall. “I enjoy living with peers, talking about our day, being in an environment with those similar to you. And we have that independent experience from a younger age that we’ll benefit from in college.”