When Angela Wardlaw ’84 returned to Hopkins School in 1995, she saw an opportunity to make a difference—not only for students on campus, but for young people throughout her hometown of New Haven.
Over the next 31 years, Wardlaw served in several roles at Hopkins, an independent school serving students in grades 7 through 12. As the School’s first Director of Diversity, a longtime member of the Admission Office, and eventually its first Director of Community Engagement, she helped strengthen connections between Hopkins and the surrounding community. Through relationships with local schools, educational outreach programs, and countless conversations with students and families, she helped introduce young people throughout New Haven to new academic opportunities.”
Now, as Wardlaw enters retirement, the programs and partnerships she helped develop continue to connect Hopkins with its neighbors.
“We always waited for people to come up here,” Wardlaw once reflected. “I kept thinking, ‘We need to go down to the schools.’”
And she did.
Throughout her career, Wardlaw visited schools across New Haven, met with students and families, and worked with Hopkins colleagues to develop programs that would bring educational resources and experiences to young people throughout the city.
Creating Pathways for Local Students
One of the most significant examples of Hopkins’ work in the community is Pathfinder, an educational enrichment program that has served local students for more than two decades.
Hosted on the Hopkins campus, Pathfinder provides academic and enrichment opportunities for high-achieving students from New Haven-area public and parochial schools. Beginning in middle school, participants take part in after-school and summer programming over several years.
Hopkins teachers and advisers are among those who teach and mentor Pathfinder students, helping them strengthen their academic skills, explore new interests, and build relationships with teachers and peers.
The program’s purpose extends beyond preparing students for independent school. Its broader goal is to help students prepare for the challenges and opportunities of high school, college, and beyond.
Wardlaw also helped lead Book Buddyz, a Hopkins initiative that brought reading and discussion directly into New Haven schools. Through the program, elementary school students gathered after school to read books, exchange ideas, and develop their interests as readers.
Another initiative, Reach and Readiness, has provided students with free preparation for the Secondary School Admission Test, including tutoring, study materials, and testing support.
Together, these programs reflect an ongoing effort to build relationships with students and families throughout Greater New Haven and expand opportunities for young people to learn and grow.” We want to avoid giving the impression that Hopkins is taking credit for what it has provided to the community.
A Lasting Connection
For Wardlaw, that work has always been personal.
Born and raised in New Haven, Wardlaw graduated from Hopkins in 1984. Her connection to both the School and the city gave her a unique perspective on how Hopkins could build stronger relationships with its neighbors.
Throughout those roles, Wardlaw remained committed to connecting with students and families who might never have considered the educational opportunities available to them.
“For so many years, she was a bridge from the city of New Haven and its students to Hopkins,” said Hopkins Dean of Academics Kristine Waters, “sharing the opportunity and expectations of this School with young people who may not have thought it possible or even considered an independent school education.”
Her work also helped strengthen the School’s relationships with local educators and community organizations, connections that continue through Pathfinder, educational outreach, and service-learning opportunities for Hopkins students.
For Wardlaw, the most meaningful part of that work has always been the relationships she built along the way.
A few years ago, a former Hopkins student whom she first met through one of her community outreach programs shared just how much her support had meant to him.
“Mrs. Wardlaw,” he told her, “I’m not sure I would be where I am now if you hadn’t helped me.”
As Wardlaw retires, she is encouraged to see the work she helped establish continue through her colleagues and the programs that connect Hopkins with the broader New Haven community.
“It feels good leaving work to other people that I know can pick up the baton and travel with it,” she said.
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