Success At and After Stevenson

For Bennington College first-year student Ollie Silverthorne, three years at Stevenson laid the foundation for a richly developing college experience. Silverthorne arrived at Stevenson in the fall of 2018 as a shy sophomore transfer from Bronx Science, a precocious teenager bubbling with creativity and curiosity, one in need of an environment that could nurture her many talents. 

“When you put yourself out there, Stevenson is the perfect environment to make lasting and profound connections with both your teachers and fellow students,” Silverthorne says. 

During her time at Stevenson, Silverthorne grew as a writer, an artist and, even to her surprise, a young mathematician. 

“I found myself actually enjoying doing math,” Silverthorne remembers. “I've always had trouble with the subject, and figured that it would never be something I have fun with -- however I remember distinctly sitting in Sabika's class and working with her and a friend on a particularly complex problem, finally getting it right, and being able to go on and complete others like it using what I'd learned -- in that moment I realized that I was actually enjoying the process. It felt so satisfying to understand a subject I've always had trouble with, and the fact that I didn't have to puzzle it out all on my own was a really great feeling.”

 Good vibes were hallmarks of Silverthorne’s time at Stevenson. The support offered by the Counseling Center and connections with members of her peer group in tandem with Stevemnson’s academic structure fostered a type of growth that is unique to a top-notch therapeutic setting. 

“Since I attended Stevenson, I've seen massive changes in myself," Silverthorne says. "For one, I've been much happier - the environment at Stevenson really let me flourish, and I had a much easier time not only completing work but finding myself enjoying the process of doing it - an enjoyment that I've kept with me even after leaving. I've also seen myself grow as somebody who's able to self-advocate - the skills I learned through reaching out to my teachers at Stevenson have helped me immensely in college so far.” 

 Not only did Silverthorne complete the work assigned, she often found a prolific zone rare to young students. Asked to write a thousand words for a creative writing exam as a sophomore, she submitted a Choose Your Own Adventure story that was over 11,000 words long. For a science assignment, she wrote three thousand words about Marvel superheroes seen through the lens of abnormal psychology. For art class, she spent numerous classes perfecting an oil painting. The variety of her Stevenson experience spoke to both her pursuit of her own interests and her ability to learn and blossom through teacher guided instruction. 

“The positive environment, especially at Stevenson, around sharing ideas regardless of how traditional they may be has helped me to feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts both in discussion and in writing here at Bennington,” Silverthorne notes. 

As much as she developed as a student, some of Silverthorne's fondest memories at Stevenson were social in nature.

“I remember hanging out in Union Square with a group of friends, and sitting outside in the heat, talking about all sorts of ridiculous things and laughing until my chest hurt," Silverthorne says. "There were times when friends and I would just sit outside the subway station near school and talk for a while, none of us wanting to go home yet because then the day would be over and we wouldn't get to talk face to face."

When Silverthorne graduated Stevenson, Art teacher Mitchell Martinez noted in a personalized graduation speech that Silverthorne was the "kind of person that you like to have around you, a type of student that any teacher is lucky to have in class and the type of human that this school is proud to see step out into the greater world. A truly kind, creative spirit with a keen mind and the will to apply herself to whatever task she sets for herself.”