Before Randolph-Macon Academy entered her life, Cecilia Paredes grew up without the steady foundation many children take for granted. Moving from home to home and school to school, she struggled to form lasting relationships and often questioned where, if anywhere, she truly belonged. Without consistent support or stability, feelings of loneliness and uncertainty followed her, shaping how she saw herself and the world around her.
Everything began to change when Cecilia arrived at our preparatory school in Virginia. What she found was not just structure or routine, but people who stayed, listened, and believed in her. In a community built on care and connection, Cecilia discovered a sense of belonging that allowed her to rebuild trust, find her voice, and begin a journey from uncertainty to confidence and purpose.
Surviving a Fractured and Fraught Childhood
When Cecilia Paredes looks back on her childhood, she remembers a young girl searching for stability and a sense of belonging. “When I looked in the mirror as a young girl, I saw a sad and lonely little girl,” she shares. “My mom had me at a very young age. I didn’t live with my mom consistently. I kind of felt unwanted.”
Cecilia moved frequently, attending eight different public schools. “Almost every family I went to tried their best to take me in, but it was never mine,” she says. “I always felt kind of like a burden, mostly.” With each move, feelings of abandonment and loneliness grew. “I started feeling abandonment and loneliness, and I didn’t understand why.”
Discovering Randolph-Macon Academy
Everything began to change when her mother made a life-altering decision. “So my mom decided, ‘I’m going to send you to a boarding school,’” Cecilia recalls. When they visited Randolph-Macon Academy, the experience felt different from anything she had known before. As they toured the middle school, Cecilia explained how the staff and students provided so much support, so much love and joy.
For the first time, Cecilia felt truly seen. “It just made me feel so wanted and welcomed, and you know, I was actually being seen.” That feeling would become the foundation of her transformation at R-MA, our preparatory school in Virginia known for structure, care, and connection.
Stability That Changed Everything
Stephanie Wagner, Computer Science Instructor, saw exactly what Cecilia needed. “Cecilia’s greatest need was stability,” she explains. “R-MA offered that platform, where she was surrounded by the same teachers and the same students.”
That consistency mattered deeply. “It wasn’t just about being a teacher,” Stephanie adds. “It was about being somebody positive in her life.’” At this private boarding school, relationships were not temporary; they were intentional and lasting.
Finding Family and Leadership
“I found family here at R-MA,” Cecilia says simply. “They were so invested in me, not just about school, but outside of school, and making sure that I was doing okay.” That support gave her the confidence to step into leadership roles across campus.
She led her own women’s Bible study and served as captain of both the soccer and swimming teams. These experiences helped Cecilia discover her voice and her ability to lead with empathy and strength. “Having a family to rely on has helped me emotionally with relationships and activities in school,” she reflects.
Stephanie saw this growth firsthand. “I’m most proud of her that she is always able to put herself out there to help somebody else out,” she says. “She never lost sight of the fact that at one point she was down and somebody helped her up, and she’s going to continue to pay that forward.”
From R-MA Preparatory School in Virginia to West Point
R-MA helped Cecilia rise, not just academically, but personally. “R-MA has helped me Rise Within by becoming the strong leader that I am today,” she says. When she graduated, the results were extraordinary. “I got into three different service academies: West Point, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Air Force Academy.”
Cecilia proudly chose West Point. Today, when Cecilia looks in the mirror, everything has changed. “I see a strong girl and someone with lots of support,” she says. “Because of R-MA, I am the happy, supported, joyful, energetic, bubbly, positive person I am today.”
Her story reflects the heart of R-MA: a place where students are not defined by where they start, but by who they become.
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