Ray Eggerts Senior Spotlight

 Any words for your Mock Election competitor, Sarah?

You’re done. It’s not even a competition. Good luck though, it’s been super fun so far. 

You and your debate partner, Ana (‘25), are ranked 10th in the nation for public forum debate. What are some important skills or lessons debate has taught you?

It taught me to worry less. Ana and I went through a period where we had a lot of stressful rounds right in a row. I would start to tweak out and then we would lose. Now, we’re at a point where I’ve learned to care less and we’re doing better. Stress less, be worried less, and if you’re going to stress, don’t let it get to you. Enjoy the ride and don’t sweat the small stuff. 

What is a memory from debating that you think will stick with you?

Last year, Ana and I and a bunch of our teammates were at the state championships. We sat in the hotel room watching the Spirit Week lip syncs that we’d missed and eating candy. It was a ton of fun. That’s something I’ll remember for a while. 

What is the best half-day activity to do in Philadelphia?

Go see a movie. I don’t think enough people go to movie theaters anymore and going with your friends to see a new release, maybe at the Film Society of Philadelphia or the fashion district AMC, is one of the best things you can do. You all just sit in comfy chairs and watch a piece of art and then you get to talk about it over dinner. It’s a great use of an afternoon.

You are in numerous clubs and activities around Masterman, such as Debate, Mock Trial, Mock Election, orchestra, Voices, jazz band, and the musical. How do you manage this, and what is one piece of advice you would give to someone attempting to do the same? 

I barely manage it, is the answer. You just have to recognize that you probably waste a lot of time. I know I waste a lot of time. So you should join a bunch of activities and learn to enjoy them. Then, you can be productive while also enjoying yourself more than you do when you waste time. You’ll learn to enjoy the stress of debate or playing your instrument and getting better. Just lock in and enjoy things that are hard and stressful, and you’ll have a much better time than if you didn’t do anything at all.  

Do you have a favorite orchestra or jazz band memory?

I always like playing the horse whinny at the end of “Sleigh Ride.” Every year we play [it] and the song ends with a horse whinny noise that I get to play on the trumpet. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. If I hit one during a concert that sounds a lot like a real horse, I get a couple of cheers and that’s exciting.

You often wear band shirts. What is a band or artist you typically recommend? 

The 1975 are one of my favorite bands. [They are] the band of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend, Matty Healy. He gets a lot of hate because of his relationship with Taylor Swift, but the band’s music is incredible and not enough people give them a chance because they think poorly of Matty Healy. Their most recent album is pretty much perfect in my mind.

What are you looking forward to the most in college?

I love my community at Masterman, but I’m looking forward to starting anew. I essentially haven’t met anyone new for the past 8 years because I’ve been with the same group of people. I’m excited to discover a bunch of people who are just as impressive as the people at Masterman, and if I can’t find anyone like that, it’ll make me appreciate The Class of ‘25 that much more.