Angie Perkins, daughter of Tom and Laurie Perkins, is co-valedictorian of the BRHS class of 2017. She will soon complete a high school senior year far different from the one she imagined.

Minor calamity struck during the varsity girls soccer match on homecoming weekend last October. Perkins collided head to head with another player. The resulting concussion left her unable to attend classes, play sports, sleep well, or read. 

“This hasn’t been the greatest senior year, but I’m recovering,” Perkins said. “All of my teachers have been really great working with me. It was really hard at first but I had to adapt and just go with it.” The concussion not only curtailed Perkins’ usual full load of school work and extracurricular activities, it caused her to rethink her approach to everyday life and her college plans.

“I’ve learned to set boundaries and take care of myself more. I originally was focused on intense, high-pressure schools and I realized during the concussion that those wouldn’t be a good fit.”

With her mom’s help, Perkins zeroed in on Kenyon College, a liberal arts college in Ohio. Perkins had little interest in Kenyon at first, but a school representative she met kept up a steady correspondence with her. Eventually, Kenyon flew Perkins out to tour the school and, after sitting in on a classics class, she was sold.

“When I went out there, everything felt amazing and I liked everyone I met. I sat in on a classics class and it was the coolest class ever,” she said.

Perkins said she has been keenly interested in Greek mythology for years. With the encouragement of teacher Emily Higgins, Perkins enrolled in a Harvard University online course called the Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours. As a high school sophomore, Perkins was the youngest student in the class. But she was not intimidated, she was enthralled.

“It was one of the most interesting and challenging courses, I’ve ever taken and I thought I want to do more with this.”

Following this deep interest, Perkins plans to pursue a classical studies major at Kenyon College. However, mindful of the potential limited career opportunities, she will also major in computer science. “I like it when things are logical and make sense. Computer science is an interesting field and it will probably be a lot easier to find a job, “ she said. ”With the double major, I’m following a realistic career path and one I’m really passionate about.”

Wearing a purple “Kenyon is not near Uganda” T-shirt, Perkins said she is sad to say good-bye to her friends, but even more excited about the opportunities ahead.

“I’ve been in school here since kindergarten, so I’m really excited to go somewhere else and meet new people.”