Dea Guo ’24 began her Episcopal experience as a virtual student beaming into classes from Beijing, China during the Covid-19 pandemic. While not ideal, the new Episcopal family could tell early on that The High School was the right place for Dea. “The teachers were so willing to support her even though they were far apart,” said Chen of that initial 7,000-mile distance between Dea and the school she would soon call her second home.

During the pandemic, teachers would meet with Dea outside of their usual office hours to ensure Dea would not have to stay up too late in China, a small and simple gesture that Guo and Chen still remember fondly. “We felt so reassured that the teachers care for every student, and we knew that Dea would be well cared for at Episcopal,” the couple recounted.

Because of Dea’s unique start to Episcopal, Chen and Guo are determined to support Episcopal teachers, just as they have supported Dea. As early donors to Courage: The Campaign for Episcopal, the current parents designated their support to the campaign’s fifth pillar, which invests in our commitment to a world class faculty and staff. The teachers are also a large reason why the two parents do their best to come to campus from China as often as they can. According to Chen, “We come to greet them and just say thank you. We really appreciate the support system.”

During Dea’s time at Episcopal, Chen and Guo have taken care to support the School in other ways. They have introduced other Chinese families to Episcopal, shared their own positive experiences, connected with current, past, and future parents through WeChat, and acted as translators when needed. They do this because other families once did it for them.

Chen and Guo first heard of Episcopal through friends in Beijing who had also sent children to The Holy Hill. While the prospect of Dea being so far from home was daunting to them, they knew that the caliber of education and the strength of the relationships would make the distance worth it. Fresh from touring the top colleges on the East Coast, the family is excited about what her senior year holds as Dea contemplates her next step. “It’s not easy as parents,” Chen said in closing, “but the teachers take good care of our children.”