Julia Rubin, Class of ‘96
Julia, you attended Peninsula School as a student and now serve on the Board of Directors. What does the value of "Freedom and Responsibility" mean to you in your ongoing service of Peninsula School?
A deep and multi-dimensional understanding of personal freedom is one of the most influential gifts Peninsula School has given me in my life. By experiencing authentic and consistent choice-making for myself from a young age, I learned my interior landscape, both its strengths and vulnerabilities. I learned that adults trusted me to make my own decisions, and via th\is freedom, I learned my identity. I found where my true passions lay and how to pursue them through the development of a personalized learning process — supported by my teachers — who understood the lifelong value in allowing a child to develop her own way of doing things. As a Peninsula graduate who also became an educator, I might call this learning a discovery process of my own intrinsic motivations. As a child, it didn’t matter what freedom was called or what it was cultivating in me. The effect was visceral, real and lived, and has remained consistent throughout my life.
In my service to Peninsula School as a board member, my relationship to Freedom and Responsibility continues to deepen. As I navigate the adult world of work, family, and the ongoing journey of seeking fulfillment in life, the importance of paying forward and protecting the gift of freedom for this generation’s young people feels vital. By this I mean, as I get older, I find my happiness becomes more dependent on the freedom of others, freedom secured for the future. As a Board member, I am now responsible to protect the freedom of the students who attend Peninsula School. That responsibility has a variety of manifestations, from voting in favor of allocating resources to protect our beautiful campus, to serving on strategic visioning and planning task forces and committees, to counting myself personally “in” on Peninsula School’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Navigating adulthood makes me all the more aware of the value of freedom in a Peninsula School education. I see my freedom now in the service of others. All children deserve this right to know themselves, to find strength in their voice, to confidently assert responsibility, and boldly advocate for transformation.
Curious for more? Read about our mission, vision, and values, or check out the Spring 2020 ‘Our Values’ edition of News Notes.