Nate Ingram '15
Nate Ingram ’15 fell in love with Woodberry
long before he became a student. When he was
twelve years old and a self-described sports
junkie, Nate enrolled in Woodberry Forest
Sports Camp. For three weeks in the summer
of 2009, he got to live the teenage boy’s dream:
a sleepover camp where the sole focus was on
playing a multitude of sports and hanging out
with friends.
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“Sports Camp had a huge impact on me,”
said Nate. “Not only being able to play different
sports, but also getting to know the counselors.
In my eyes, these guys were everything I wanted
to be. And almost all of them were Woodberry
boys. That put the bug in my head that someday
I wanted to go to school there.”
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Growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia, Nate’s
older brother was the first to dip his toes in the
boarding school waters.
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“My brother went to Christchurch, so when
I raised the idea of boarding school with my
parents, it didn’t come as a shock,” said Nate.
“Boarding school just seemed like the coolest
thing in the world . . . living with your best
friends, going to classes together, hanging out in
the dorm, playing sports. What isn’t there to like?”
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Despite his eagerness, the reality of
Woodberry Forest was still something of a
shock. Nate’s only exposure to the school was
through Sports Camp. He had no idea how
rigorous and thorough the academics would
be. He also learned fairly quickly that his attitude
would need to change.
“I have to admit that when I got to Woodberry,
I was a pretty cocky kid,” said Nate. “I was
ambitious and wanted straight As and wanted
to make all the varsity teams. That probably
rubbed some people the wrong way, but my
heart was in the right place. And over time, that
cockiness turned into focused confidence. I
learned how to succeed without being boastful.
And a lot of that came as a result of watching
how the older boys conducted themselves. I
learned so much from them, and I did a ton of
maturing over those four years.”
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After Woodberry, Nate went on to attend the
University of Virginia, where he continued to
excel. He attributes much of his success to the
preparation he received at Woodberry.
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“The transition to college, especially living
away from home, was pretty easy,” said Nate.
“At Woodberry, I learned so much about
being personally responsible for my work.
And academically, I felt like I had a very solid
foundation.”
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Nate attributes that foundation to a number of
teachers who pushed him in the classroom and
on the athletic field. Whether it was John Amos
as his advisor, sparking an interest in reading
and writing when, prior to Woodberry, “I did not
see myself as an English person at all,” or Ted
Blain reinforcing that belief that he could be a
good reader and writer. In Fred Jordan’s history
and government classes, he learned to care
about American politics and what was going
on in the world, which led to him studying
government and economics at UVA. Outside of
the classroom, Nate thinks back on the unique
boarding school experiences that helped shape
who he is, singling out late-night conversations
with Ryan Alexander in Dowd-Finch when
he was a fifth former, when the two would
talk about big issues in life. He also grew as a
person when he was named a school prefect,
and found himself in a position where he was
expected to enforce and uphold the school’s
honor system, which inevitably resulted in
difficult conversations and decisions.
“Every aspect of my time at Woodberry means so much to me,” says Nate. “I never would have been able to have that experience were it not for tuition assistance. That is the reason I give to Woodberry, and it is the reason I’m an alumni volunteer. I firmly believe that financial circumstances should never be a barrier to attending Woodberry. A high-quality education should not be reserved strictly for the wealthy. I owe so much to the school, and I hope that I can play a part in providing access to more boys like me in the future.”