Head of School
Transition
Dr. Karen C. Lassey will join Emma Willard School as our 18th head of school on July 1, 2025.
Look Within,
See Beyond.
Honoring its founder’s vision, Emma Willard School proudly fosters in each young woman a love of learning, the habits of an intellectual life, and the character, moral strength, and qualities of leadership to serve and shape her world.
We are committed to educating a generation of learners ready and able to address the most pressing issues of their time.
At Emma, we foster a sense of purpose in each student by emphasizing relevance, impact, and community connection.
We focus on developing the skills necessary to build and sustain equity and justice in the world.
With awareness that the world is changing and learners are changing with it, Emma Willard School's leadership embraces strategic initiatives that prioritize academic innovation and a community of purpose to equip our students to meet the extraordinary opportunities and challenges of their time.
Dr. Karen C. Lassey will join Emma Willard School as our 18th head of school on July 1, 2025.
See the horizon stretch beyond Mount Ida, beyond boundaries and borders, beyond expectations and conventions.
Together, we are advancing a vision of purposeful courage and informed action.
“Emma Willard is special to me because of the strong community and numerous opportunities.”
London G.
Class of 2028
“Emma is a community full of interesting people and supportive adults, and the friendships I made here are irreplaceable.”
Fu Z.
Class of 2027
“I stepped onto campus for the first time during a tour and felt like this was my place...and have loved it ever since!”
Marin M.
Class of 2026
“Making things weird is possibly the most fun one person can have, and I think everyone should be a little weirder, all of the time.”
Maya L-C.
Class of 2025
“I believe Emma is exactly where I should be and cannot imagine myself anywhere else.”
Bernice U.
Class of 2025
On home…
I currently live in Troy, NY. I come from a family with three other siblings, and we have two dogs. Home is where my family is, and they’ve always been supportive and loving.
On Emma…
I discovered Emma through my great aunt Claire who is an alum of the Class of 1977, I believe. Initially, I felt it would be a significant change but I quickly adapted and now enjoy my time here. Emma Willard is special to me because of the strong community and numerous opportunities.
On track…
I’m most passionate about advancing in track. I go into it through encouragement from friends and various sports coaches. One thing that I’ve learned is that coming out of blocks is not easy, and I would like to learn how to gain more confidence in myself when it comes to my performance.
On photography…
One new hobby I would like to explore is photography. I love how one picture can capture a moment and tell a story.
On Revels…
My favorite tradition at Emma Willard that I’m looking forward to this December is Revels, because it’s a performance that the seniors put on filled with screaming, singing, dancing, and skits and I get to watch all my senior friends!
On home…
I spent my childhood in Beijing, China, living with my parents as an only child. Although I don’t have any pets, I love seeing animals in my neighborhood. When I was nine, my mom and I moved to the US and have lived here since then. My dad had to continue his job in Beijing, so I don’t see him as often. Although living far away from him, our love and care never fade. I guess this unique opportunity has given me the skill of understanding the feeling of separation at a young age.
On Emma…
I learned about Emma through my high school counselor and Emma Admissions. Hearing about Emma’s academics and history made me so interested in this place. I was never so curious about a place than the time I heard about Emma. Everything seems so fun to explore, so I went straight to the school’s website. The rich history of Emma made me fall in love with it. Let’s just say that no one wouldn’t be fascinated by Emma’s beautiful campus. What I love the most about Emma is that it provides a safe and comfortable space for young women to explore their interests in various fields. It is where everyone tries new things and discovers the talents and aspirations in themselves!
What makes Emma so special to me is the people here. Emma is a second home for many students. We have to “survive” here by ourselves, but we’re not fighting individually when we encounter hardships. Emma is a community full of interesting people and supportive adults, and the friendships I made here are irreplaceable, both with my peers and teachers. At Emma, I can always find people to talk to when I’m walking to different places on campus. Seeing them is always heartwarming to me. The people at Emma are so precious to me, especially my friends here, and that’s what makes Emma so special to me.
On music…
I’ve always had a passion for music, especially singing. I started singing Bel Canto with an amazing teacher at a very young age. Her teaching was not only about singing, it’s more about the feelings singers express. Everything is about passion. She always says, “You have to sink into the world of music!” Music allows me to express rich feelings that words can’t express. The joy, the sorrow, the anger, the shock…everything is in there.
Besides singing Bel Canto, music, in general, completes me. I love listening to pop music. Right now, my favorite artists are SZA, Daniel Caesar, Frank Ocean…and so many more I can’t list them all. I love everything about music; it carries everything within me.
On softball…
Technically, it’s not a new thing for me. I played softball for four years in elementary school before, but I’ve dropped it since then. It’s not because I don’t enjoy it, but I couldn’t find the right opportunity to play this sport later on. Last year I tried out for softball at Emma, and I’ve never been happier playing a team sport before (swimming, I’m sorry I count you as more of an individual sport). Although I didn’t get onto the final team, I still had a great time keeping this hobby up.
And Revels!
Revels is my favorite Emma tradition. It was such a magical experience in the cold and snowy winter last year. Walking through the tunnel and seeing everyone with full glam made me, and maybe everyone, feel like the main character in a fairy tale. The unique feeling mixed with nervousness and excitement ready for my first Revels was so memorable. I can’t wait to see all my senior friends dressing up and acting their characters out this year!
On home…
I was born in Saratoga Springs, NY and I really love it. I live with my parents and they’re my biggest supporters and my favorite people. We love to watch movies together and cook (if we don’t get on each other’s nerves too much). My mom and I are currently watching all of the Studio Ghibli movies and loving them!
On Emma…
My parents knew about Emma, and thought if they ever had a daughter it would be a great experience. I had a family friend named Caroline, and she went to Emma and said wonderful things about it. I stepped onto campus for the first time during a tour and felt like this was my place. I applied and got in and have loved it ever since!
Emma is so special because of the community and people here. Some of my closest relationships have been formed here, and I know there is always someone I can count on. Whether that be teacher or friend, I’ve always felt really accepted here.
About music…
I’m really passionate about all kinds of music. My dad is a music producer, so growing up I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music and a lot of instruments. I played piano for 4 years and quit during COVID after not really connecting with it. After that, I started guitar with help from my dad and I absolutely fell in love. I’ve since gotten back into piano and dabbled in drums, and it’s my absolute favorite thing. Listening to music, playing it, producing it, everything. It makes me really really happy.
On art…
Definitely different forms of art. I love to create things, but I tend to keep it a bit safe by sticking to the things I know well like painting and photography. There’s so many different things to try. I would love to try pottery or get back into darkroom photography!
On Revels…
Definitely Revels. I always get super excited when that time of year rolls around, it just feels straight out of a Christmas movie. My freshman year it started to snow right when we were coming into Kiggins and it felt super magical. I love seeing everyone come through the doors (especially when they’re my good friends!) and hearing the crowd go nuts. I’m so excited for my class’s Revels. It’s going to be so so so fun.
On home…
I am from Chicago, IL. I have three dogs, a parakeet, and around nine (I think) chickens—at one point, we had around 30, and when you have so many chickens at one time they all kinda blur into each other. I have an older sister, Isabel, who graduated from Emma in 2023! She was a lantern bearer in her Revels. She’s a bit of an odd little critter, but we’ve grown really close and I like spending time with her because I feel like I can relax and truly be myself around her, now that I'm immune to her judgment, due to my years of experience with it.
I am a proctor on the ninth grade hall this year, and it has been a blast! Besides the questionable late-night screaming, the energy in the hall is so much fun!! I love my little freshies and I can't wait to see what they do at Emma in the future!
On Emma…
My experience at Emma has been wonderful! I first learned about the school many years ago, when my sister was in 8th grade and applying to the school to be a day student (we actually used to live in the Albany area for a few years), but then we moved back to Illinois, so she wasn’t able to go. We both really loved what we saw and knew about the school, and so when the opportunity for us to go as boarders came up a few years ago, we JUMPED at the opportunity.
What makes Emma special for me are the people and the connections that I've made. I have met some of my greatest friends here, and I am so so excited to spend our last year at Emma together!
On acting…
Something I’m really passionate about is acting. I have been acting in plays and musicals for a long time now, and it is really important for me. It has been the one thing throughout my life that I have consistently enjoyed doing, and I am so excited to do more of it in college.
Something I’ve learned from acting and theatre has been that making things weird is possibly the most fun one person can have, and I think everyone should be a little weirder, all of the time.
On jam…
I want to make my own jam really bad because I just really like jam on toast like A LOT and I want to be able to create my own fruit jam concoctions. I'm thinking like a beautiful mango+apricot+peach situation—might even dabble in a jelly or two! Who knows!
I’ve also been thinking a lot about rock tumbling...like imagine my power…no one would have a better rock collection than I—not only because they’d be shiny and beautiful, but because they’d be tumbled with Love ❤️❤️❤️
On Revels…
My favorite tradition at Emma is Revels!! There is just something so enchanting about the energy on Revels night, and after having been in the audience so far, I am SO EXCITED TO BE IN IT THIS YEAR!!!
(Everyone pls send me your revelizations…I'm very Interested in what you have to say….)
On home…
Home is the beautiful Rwanda, Africa! Growing up in Rwanda was an experience like no other, being surrounded by family and friends 24/7. My dad and mom currently live in Rwanda too with my younger sister, Briellah, who is only nine but is as outspoken as an adult. My older siblings, Brian (21) and Belinda (22) are currently in Michigan, wrapping up their last year in college. I’m actually going to their graduation in a few months and I could not be any more proud of them.
I don’t have any pets as my mother is deathly afraid of cats and dogs but last I heard, my younger sister is working hard in convincing her to get a puppy to keep her company when she is home alone.
On Emma…
I believe Emma is exactly where I should be and cannot imagine myself anywhere else. The community here is welcoming and the environment is one where you are encouraged to grow into your own person. I first stumbled across Emma while looking at boarding schools with beautiful campuses, and Emma was first and center, with its Hogwarts-like architecture. My first impression of Emma when I first moved in, was that the pictures did not do this school justice. Additionally, I immediately came to see just how kindhearted everyone here is. Everywhere, students and faculty alike, were ready to help and offered me a warm smile every time they saw me. This made the transition from home to Emma so much easier.
What makes Emma so special to me are the bonds I have made in my time as a student here. Ranging from lifelong friends to teachers who sincerely care about me, in and out of class. I truly believe that some of the people I have met here are ones that I can call friends past my time here.
On being a leader…
I’m passionate about being a leader, in and out of Emma. I love taking up the role of leader and caring for my peers. As a freshman, my Proctor was a big part of my amazing experience and that is when I knew I wanted to do the same. This year as a Proctor and a head of the Emma Arch club [Emma Arch is a club that works to connect alum with current students], taking up these roles has pushed my boundaries and allowed me to flourish.
Being a proctor has allowed me to build connections with the people in my neighborhood and I’ve become someone who people seek out for help. This feeling of responsibility is heavy but one I welcome entirely, because it has taught me to think of others, to put not only myself first but my group of hall members first too. Everyday as a leader, not only this role but in life, it is as simple as making sure that I am in control of my actions. It is a learning experience where every step of the way I am learning something new not only about myself but about other people too.
On Kinyarwanda…
This is not quite a new hobby, more so a skill I would like to brush up on, and that is being proficient in my native language, Kinyarwanda. Even before coming here, I was mostly surrounded by English so there was not much space for learning my native language. But as the years go by, there are not many opportunities to speak in Kinyarwanda and so my native language has quickly dwindled off my tongue. It greatly saddens me every time I go home and I can barely string the words together to make a fully coherent sentence to my relatives. So not only is the distance creating a drift in my relationship with my family, but my inefficiency in the language that is commonly spoken in my family, has contributed to a bigger gap.
On Ring Dinner and Ring Siblings…
Now as a junior, I can fully understand the excitement past seniors and juniors had the days leading up to Ring Dinner. The whole week before Ring Dinner, my two ring sisters, Hedy H. ’24 and Gabby C. ’24 dressed me up however they wanted. Costumes ranged from a praying mantis to a huge inflatable blue suit. I would be lying if I said that these costumes were very comfortable, but the anticipation of the newest wacky costume they would give me in the morning made everything worth it.
Additionally, Ring Dinner was an experience I’ll never forget. Finally obtaining my class ring honestly made me slightly emotional and I have been wearing it everyday since I first got it. The pictures after the dinner and the fun I had with all of my friends made the night very memorable. Freshmen and sophomores should be really excited about Ring Dinner and the festivities surrounding it!
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