When Alyssa Africa arrived at Salem Academy in the US state of North Carolina from Dominica in 2023, she wasn’t entirely sure what interests she would discover — only that she wanted the chance to explore.
That curiosity led her to try a little bit of everything: playing soccer, participating in Student Council meetings, as well as Bible Club and STEM Club, performing as Mrs. George in the “Mean Girls” musical and volunteering at Kaleideum, a local children’s museum.
Doing all of the above unearthed many new interests, something she would not have been able to do back home. “I love being able to explore, so this has been a great, adventurous experience,” she says.
At Salem, small class sizes and close relationships with teachers help students feel seen, supported, and encouraged to share their ideas. Source: Salem Academy
A place for girls to explore, create, and grow
Since 1772, Salem has been helping girls like Africa grow into confident leaders. Today, it is the nation’s only all-girls boarding and day high school with a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) focus. Here, students move from robotics and engineering projects to debate practice and the arts, all while learning how to work with others.
Experiential learning is a big part of the student experience at Salem. Throughout the school day, there are projects, experiments, role-playing activities, field trips, and interactive assignments to get students to focus on reflection, critical analysis, and synthesis.
One experience many look forward to is the Academy Compassion Projects. Those in their second year of high school work in teams to identify a need in the Winston-Salem community and design a project around it. They manage everything from fundraising and scheduling to supplies and implementation before pitching their ideas to freshmen who apply to join the projects.
Innovation Days give students the chance to step away from their usual schedules and try something new. Over two days, they work with mentors and professionals in different STEAM fields. Recent experiences have included joining gene-splicing workshops with The Gene Editing Institute, creating a campus mural with a professional artist, learning about magazine publishing, and exploring how sound and furniture design come together.
In doing these, girls often find exciting, expanded possibilities for their future. “Salem Academy’s Innovation Day options have opened my daughter’s eyes to career options,” says parent Amanda Tucker. “I am looking forward to watching my daughter experience the creative programming for her upcoming Maymester.”
With a 100% college acceptance rate, Salem prepares students for success beyond high school. Source: Salem Academy
Real-world ready
Internships are another way Salem encourages students to connect what they’re learning to the real world. Junior and senior students work with field advisors to secure a three-week internship placement, set goals, and later reflect on what they learned during Sharing Day presentations.
Past students have completed internships in a range of industries, including Paralysed Veterans of America in Washington DC, Crossnore School & Children’s Home in Winston-Salem, and even a nursing home in Seville, Spain.
“Lillian interned at a local university’s athletic department. She helped create programmes that will benefit future Salem athletes,” shares Adrian Lawrence, another Salem parent. “These experiences helped in her freshman year of college. She was able to secure a position in the athletic department of her university by relying on the skills she gained at Salem.”
Meanwhile, senior boarding student Lovie Valdivia-Tucker from North Carolina spent her internship with Novant Health shadowing doctors. The highlight of her time there was observing an orthopaedic surgeon perform three dual knee replacements. “I thought that was really cool because it’s hard for students under 18 to get opportunities like that,” Valdivia-Tucker says.
The internship helped her better understand what working in medicine is really like and confirmed that it’s a path she wants to pursue. She plans to study chemistry and eventually attend medical school with the goal of becoming an orthopaedic surgeon.
“I’m proud of a lot of what I’ve done at Salem. No matter where we go, we’ll always stand out because of what we’ve learned here, and because of how we’ve been taught to be confident in ourselves,” Valdivia-Tucker adds.
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