Student Council President Hopes to Leave Legacy of Leadership

2022-23 student body president Ethan F.’ 23 address the school community during opening assembly at Christ Church, Sep. 7, 2022. (Da Ping Luo)

Upper School Student Council President Ethan F. ’23 is graduating while leaving behind a legacy of leadership through his work in student government and as a role model for younger students as he tackles academics and athletics with kindness and good sportsmanship.

“While I am excited for college and to start this new chapter of my life, Browning has left its mark on me. I’m so grateful for the time I spent here and hope I have given something back to the school” Ethan said.

Ethan has been at the School for 13 years. At the end of his junior year, he ran for study body president, having been deeply inspired by previous students who held the role.

“I learned a lot from watching previous student body presidents, and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to from spending so much time with my friends,” Ethan said. “It became important for me to implement my own ideas about what the school community looks like.”

Throughout the first semester, Ethan and the Student Council made numerous changes, including incorporating more spirit weeks, huddle spaces, and community days. A main goal of Ethan’s agenda throughout the entire year has been to improve and develop the community times and school spirit. As spring draws near, Ethan continues to look for ways to improve and make a positive impact on the community.

“There’s still a lot of time left to continue to work on things,” Ethan said. “We want to focus on the dynamic across grades, and reinforce the relationships between the students in upper school and the other divisions.”

Ethan splits his time and balances his presidential duties with his commitment to his athletic teammates as a three season varsity athlete. Just this academic year, he has served as a captain on the varsity soccer team and been an integral member of the varsity basketball team. Fitzpatrick believes Browning has allowed him to learn to lead and be more vocal both on and off the field.

“Browning is a place where you are super comfortable to pursue anything you are interested in and express your thoughts without being judged," Ethan said. “I have been able to do a variety of things that don’t fit together stereotypically, and I’ve been allowed and encouraged to lead in my own way whether it be on the field or in the classroom.”

Many younger students look up to Ethan and view him as a role model. While the development of school spirit and community is an integral part of his agenda, he recognizes the importance of inspiring the future leaders of Browning to find their own voices to continue to improve the environment and build relationships across age groups.

“I have looked for ways to continue to bring the community together, which will be especially important when the new Upper School building opens,” Ethan said. “It’s important to me to try and inspire every student to create new ways to make the community tighter by continuing to generate opportunities for younger students to hang out with older students.”

The new upper school building will change the entire dynamic of the school. By separating the divisions and increasing the number of students, the school will be challenged to retain its tight-knit community. Ethan considers this goal as crucial and has a plan to bring boys from the different campuses together to continue this key characteristic of the school.

“Despite the Upper School soon being physically apart from the rest of the school, it will also give the school a unique opportunity to bring students together. The new gym will allow for home games in a home court setting that allows large groups of fans to attend. Even though it’s not here yet, it’s not too early to encourage the Lower and Middle School students to attend nearby varsity and JV games,” Ethan said. “A home team to root for and school athletics are a powerful way to help in driving a cohesive culture within the Browning community.”

In the fall, Ethan will attend Elon University where he hopes to be involved as a leader, be it on the soccer pitch for the club team or off the field. He is also interested in running for Student Body President as well as pursuing other leadership positions potentially in a fraternity. He loved giving Browning tours to prospective students and parents, and wants to continue to pay it forward in college.

Ethan cherishes the thoughtful values he learned and developed at Browning over the years. Much of these core principles are what guide him as a role model and a leader, specifically, what it means to be a Browning gentleman.

“I learned a lot about how to treat people and respect their choices and differences at Browning. Little things like simple manners, cleaning up after yourself in the cafeteria, and holding the door open for other people become second nature,” Ethan reflected. “The term Browning gentlemen gets thrown around sometimes, but I am grateful if kids look up to me, and proud if I have influenced them in a positive way.”