Mary Sessions has joined the Darlington Community as assistant director of boarding admission. A product of independent schools herself, Sessions finds it very easy to share with prospective families the benefits of this type of learning environment.
"I had the good fortune of attending independent schools for both middle and high school," she said. "From there, I had a solid foundation to succeed at a great liberal arts university. My admission to those schools changed the trajectory of my life! I consider it an honor to help families discover Darlington and to determine if our school is a place where their child's future will be forever changed."
Sessions holds a B.A. in International Studies and French from Elon University and studied advanced French at Azurlingua Language School in Nice.
"After finishing my final Winter Term at Elon University, I returned to Atlanta with a French degree and without a strong sense of how I wanted to use it," she said. "I contacted my high school French teacher and she offered me a role assisting with her second semester classes, so I could continue to use my language skills.
"When she needed a substitute a few weeks later, she asked me to cover her classes," Sessions continued. "When word spread that I'd returned as a sub, I found myself teaching many of my former teachers' courses: English, photography, pottery and even chemistry! I loved it! I found teenagers to be hilarious and honest, and every day brought something new. That's when I knew I wanted to work at an independent school."
Sessions has six years of previous experience in admissions at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn. In addition to serving as associate director of admissions there, she was a student advisor and a member of the residential life faculty. Most recently, she spent one year as a program manager at Crane Metamarketing in Atlanta.
"Although I have relatives who graduated from Darlington, I hadn't been on campus until I came to interview," Sessions said. "I was already aware of Darlington's academic and athletic achievements. When I came to campus, I was blown away by its impressive facilities and the remarkable care with which the school is run."
In her free time, Sessions enjoys photography.
"I love photography!" she said. "I've been studying it since high school. In addition to working with it as a digital medium, I am carrying the torch of darkroom photography into the 21st Century. I have numerous 35mm cameras, two enlargers, and a load of darkroom equipment that travels with me, whenever I move. I'm hoping set up a darkoom in my apartment this year. In addition to visual art, I've been singing my entire life and enjoy it very much. I've also recently picked up the ukulele... I'm progressing pretty slowly, but I'm having fun learning something new."
Sessions lives on campus and is excited to be part of the residential staff this year. She and her 7-year-old puggle, Cleo, have already made many new friends.
