When Zora Scannell-Rooks ’26 arrived at Harley in second grade, her family had just moved from New York City to help care for her grandmother. As they explored schools, one thing stood out immediately: Harley’s Hospice program. Even though Zora was just entering Lower School, her mother was drawn to a community where compassion, service, and connection were woven into student life. Though Zora was nervous to leave New York City, Harley’s small, welcoming community made it easy to find her footing, and that sense of belonging has only deepened over the years.
Ask Zora about the teachers who shaped her journey, and she insists she has loved them all, but a few stand out. In Lower and Middle School, Jay Stetzer P ’88, ’91, GP ’26, ’20 (Music, 1971–2018) opened a world she hadn’t imagined for herself through music and theater. “His classes were the most fun and he made every day brighter for us all,” she says.
In the Upper School, Dave O’Brien P ’19 (English, 2011-present) helped her find something even more powerful: her voice. Zora credits his discussion-based English classes with teaching students to advocate for themselves, listen deeply, and lead thoughtful conversations. His mentorship extends beyond the classroom; even now, he still reads drafts of her essays and offers guidance. “You’ll never get a better 10th grade English anywhere else,” she says. His influence, she believes, has made her a stronger writer—and a stronger person.
That spirit of leadership has flourished in Zora’s senior year as class president, after serving as junior class vice president. Much of her work has centered on bringing people together through joy, connection, and creativity. She is especially proud of events like Junior Fun Night in the library, a student-run car wash that raised $1,200 for the senior class, and Wilson Gallery displays for Halloween, Elf Day, and Prank Day that transformed a shared space into a celebration. “Pay to Pie a Senior” brought both fundraising and laughter, with a few teachers volunteering for the splatter, too.
Then there was Senior Skip Day, a recent highlight that Student Council helped design as an experience accessible to everyone: a house on Canandaigua Lake, games indoors and out, potluck lunch, and a beautiful day together. Zora and vice president Ava Vyas ’26 put tremendous care into making it special for the whole class.
Zora’s leadership extends beyond student government. Since joining Harley’s Student of Color Association (SOCA) as a freshman, and serving as president since junior year, she has helped create cultural programming that invites others in. She has created Black History Month exhibitions in the Wilson Gallery two years in a row, the first a Spotify-inspired celebration of Black artists to this year’s Black history timeline and a showcase of Black Harley artists.
She is passionate about encouraging other students to pursue what she calls “passion projects.” With that spirit, she helped organize Lunar New Year programming, despite not being Asian herself, simply because she wanted to contribute and learn. She also supported a Cambodian New Year celebration. “We need to showcase more color in our lives,” she says.
This fall, Zora will head to Bowdoin College, where she will play Division III volleyball, something she has been working towards her whole life, committing to the sport in sophomore year when she first began connecting with college coaches. After meeting future teammates at Accepted Students Day, her excitement only grew. She plans to study psychology and Africana Studies.
While she’s eager for what comes next, she knows she will miss Harley’s Nursery–Grade 12 community, where relationships stretch across ages and roles. Through her work in Extended Day, she has formed bonds with younger students she still greets in the hallways.
She feels she is leaving Harley in a good place—having helped strengthen its culture and putting a little more color in the lives of our community!
