Andrew and Lori Flame P’22
Andrew and Lori Flame P'22 and daughter Rachel '22.
Donor Profile
Tell us about your family’s decision to choose Dickinson for your daughter.
Along with Dickinson’s excellent academic reputation, Dickinson stood out to us because of its small, close-knit community and the personalized attention that our daughter, Rachel [‘22], received upon first stepping onto campus. From the admissions staff to the professors whose classes she visited and the students who were kind enough to help us get to where we were going to the tennis coach under whom Rachel was recruited, everyone was warm, welcoming and truly excited to be a part of the Dickinson community. We had toured numerous schools, including other schools the same size as Dickinson, but never felt that same intimate feel that Dickinson provided.
Can you speak to how Dickinson’s useful liberal-arts education has impacted your daughter’s experience?
The liberal-arts education Dickinson offers has exposed Rachel to a wide range of potential educational and career paths. While our daughter originally thought she wanted to pursue a health care career, her classes in biology and chemistry led her to major in biochemistry & molecular biology, taking her toward a different career path. The liberal-arts curriculum also provided Rachel the opportunity to take classes in psychology, religion and the environment, which are not part of the traditional science track. This has broadened her experiences, perspectives and skillsets, and it has given Rachel the confidence to try new things outside of her comfort zone.
What inspired your gift to Dickinson?
For us, giving back to Dickinson is not only monetary but also achieved through our volunteer work. We are chairs of the Parents Leadership Council, and we have volunteered with admissions to connect with prospective and incoming Dickinson families at college fairs and admissions events. We are also very active on the on the Dickinson parents’ Facebook page—especially last year, due to the unique circumstances presented by COVID.
We like to give back to Dickinson because of the incredible experience our daughter has had, ever since she walked onto campus the first time. We approach our volunteer efforts at Dickinson by asking, “How can we make the experience even better for today’s students (and parents!) and for future families?” Additionally, our ability to earmark our gifts for the activities in which our daughter is active (primarily the tennis team) supports her experiences, too. And our gifts of time and our financial support give us a chance to pay it forward.
What is your favorite story from your child’s experience at Dickinson?
Rachel has special dietary needs and, through disability, has meals custom-prepared. Working with the Office of Access and Disability Services on her specific requirements, we met in person with Dickinson’s head chef and the Dining Services staff to talk through Rachel’s food requirements. During the meeting, the head chef mentioned to Rachel that she could come by to meet the other chefs who help prepare her food. Rachel took him up on the invitation. Over the last few years, they have all gotten to know her.
Last spring, when Rachel was traveling with the tennis team, the tennis coach ordered meals for the team, as they could not stop at restaurants, due to COVID protocol. During one of her trips, Rachel opened her suspiciously large food bag. It contained extra treats and a note that said: “Rachel, good luck today, go get ’em. You got this,” with a smiley face. We don’t know which chef put it in there, but it made her day (as well as the rest of the team, with whom she shared those snacks)!
Dickinson’s small community allows the students, faculty and staff to really get to know each other, even down to the chefs who make their meals!
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
We love watching Rachel play tennis, especially at the collegiate level. Our family trips also involve tennis: Every year since Rachel was 8 years old, we have traveled to the U.S. Open as well as to many other tennis tournaments, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island. We have also had a private tour of Wimbledon.
We also love to cook and try new recipes—checking out small, local markets to get seasonal foods makes it a lot of fun—and we are big television and movie fans, so we watch a lot of Netflix! Lastly, we volunteer for Dickinson, and we serve on our homeowner’s-association board.
What is one piece of advice you would give to today’s students?
From the moment we were sitting in the bagel shop in Carlisle and Rachel informed us of her decision that Dickinson was the place she wanted to be (we already knew that!), Rachel decided she was going to “put herself out there.” Along with being a member of the women’s tennis team, she wanted to do everything she could to meet new people and try new things. Even before Pre-Orientation, she attended all admitted-students events and Summer Send-Offs. Once on campus, she went to programs offered by the Asbell Center as well as other activities. She decided to rush sorority and is now a Theta. Rachel also took advantage of both academic and career advising, meeting every semester with her academic advisor as well as with staff at the Career Center. Her active engagement has led to opportunities she wouldn’t have otherwise had: being a teaching assistant, researching along with several professors and earning a Presidential Fellowship.
So our advice is to take advantage of everything that Dickinson has to offer. Put yourself out there. Go outside of your comfort zone, get involved, meet people and have new experiences. You never know where something is going to lead, what you may learn about yourself and what opportunities may become available to you as a result.
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Published July 15, 2021