Path to success

Site Staff,

Cape Fear Academy invites alumni as college freshmen to return over holiday breaks to answer questions and give advice to current students about college. Cape Fear Academy sophomore Victor Agbafe recalled speaking with two alumni who are attending UNC Chapel Hill and Harvard University. They advised him on what classes to take to get to where they are now.

 

“They lead by example,” Agbafe said. “I don’t know how you can’t be motivated.”

 

Agbafe is the only sophomore taking Advanced Placement Biology while the rest of the class is comprised of juniors and seniors. Last year, he took Honors Chemistry and Honors Algebra II. He is driven by his aspiration to become a neurosurgeon someday.

 

“I’ve always tried to push myself academically. As the material gets harder, you have to adjust and work harder,” he said. He recalls breezing through classes in public middle school with A’s. At Cape Fear Academy, it’s not quite so easy.

 

“There are no classes that have busy work,” he said. “The tests you take are challenging. You have to really understand it.”

 

But Cape Fear Academy teachers are available and supportive of their students.

 

“You’ll be pushed to pursue your own interests,” Agbafe said. “What you put in, is what you get out.”

 

Although this is only his second year at Cape Fear Academy, his transition from public school has been smooth. He attests to the lack of disciplinary problems, like fights and truancy, which frees up Cape Fear Academy’s learning environment for students to focus on intellectual rigor and creativity.

 

One myth he’d like to dispel is that Cape Fear Academy students are snobs.

 

“Cape Fear students are very approachable and it’s easy to make friends,” he said. “We’re all just 15-year-old kids doing our best.”

 

Ethnic minorities like Agbafe, who is African American, comprise 10 percent of the student body. The school constantly works on reaching out to increase diversity, a value the school sees as essential for a vibrant educational environment.

 

“I think the new scholarship program for new students will increase diversity not only for ethnic minorities, but for other socio-economic levels,” he said.

 

Cape Fear Academy has been a leader in the educational community of southeastern North Carolina since 1967. Known for its academic excellence and outstanding college preparatory program, the pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning across academic disciplines. For more information, visit www.capefearacademy.org or call (910) 791-0287.