Meet the Class of 2029

The Class of 2029 is here, and as usual, it’s an impressive bunch.

Among them are 40 high school class and student body presidents, 33 yearbook editors, 310 sports team captains, and 17 Eagle Scouts and Girl Scout Gold Award recipients. One is a firefighter, another a national-level gymnast. There is a surf instructor, a student who assisted sea turtles in an ocean conservation program in Brazil, and a competitor from Season 4 of Chopped Junior.

They come from 39 states and 25 countries, and they’ve studied or speak 29 languages other than English. Many play instruments, including the yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer. One has performed at Carnegie Hall.

When reading their applications, Stephanie Dupaul, vice president for enrollment management, couldn’t help but notice how many were already connected in ways they might not yet realize. Did the students from Virginia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey meet when they all attended the same New York Times summer program? Would the student from Pennsylvania who worked for Duck Donuts discover their ties to the North Carolinian who also worked for the franchise?

“I’m so excited for them,” Dupaul said, “and for the moments of finding something familiar that will be interspersed with all of the newness of coming to Richmond.”