For Chinenye “Chichi” Obasi, graduating from Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores is more than just leaving high school. “It’s also very bittersweet, because I’m leaving this home that I’ve had for four years.”
Beginning when she was 5, Obasi and her family began a series of moves across the globe before settling back in Virginia. “My dad was in the foreign service,” she said. “I moved to Rwanda for two years in Africa, and then another African country called Malawi. Then, I lived in India for four years, and then I came back here,” she said.
A parishioner of Our Lady of Angels Church in Woodbridge, Obasi said her years at John Paul the Great profoundly changed her spiritual life. She said that while the school holds true to its Catholic identity, “They show you scientific reasoning, logic … so you can come to that conclusion yourself,” she said. Obasi grew in knowledge of the faith, but “wanted to become more involved in the church community,” she said. So, she signed up as a sacristan and would continue to serve in that role for the next four years.
While she served her faith community, Chichi also strove to serve her school community. In sports, she was a medal winner on the track field and made dozens of “kills” on the volleyball court, serving as varsity captain.
But one school cause near and dear to Chichi’s heart is diversity and inclusion. As president of the Think, Hear, Express Club and a member of the Ethnic Diversity Council, Chichi helped run the school’s Culture Day, where the school community celebrates the ethnic cultures of all the students.
Chichi said the atmosphere of Culture Day is welcoming and celebratory. Each student is expected to dress in attire representing his or her culture. “Even if you don’t have a culture, you can dress up from your friend’s culture,” she said. “The point is that everyone’s dressing up and celebrating.” The day features a student-led parade with music from various cultures. Students perform different dances, such as a Chinese Lunar New Year dance, and savor cuisines from around the world.
Chichi doesn’t plan to end serving the community in high school. After graduation, she will go on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland. “I’m most looking forward to my formation of character,” she said. “Going to the U.S. Naval Academy definitely will result in you becoming a more disciplined, a more committed, and a more selfless person. And I feel like I’ve always had those kind of values, but the Naval Academy will definitely help me shape that.”
Chichi said her journey to the Naval Academy can be largely attributed to the teammates, friends and teachers she befriended at John Paul the Great. “I’m very fortunate to be part of a community that cares about every single one of its students and helps form them in the way that they do.”
