"Brooklyn born and bred!  I grew up in the Clinton Hill section, before gentrification." The outgoing Dr. Yolanda Pierce was a BFS student from ninth through twelfth grades, and recalls it as a high school with a refreshing atmosphere. "I loved how warm and welcoming everyone was," she said. "I didn’t sense the intense competitiveness that plagues other independent schools. BFS genuinely felt like a family."

One particular element that surprised the ninth grader was that many faculty and staff were called by their first names. "For a traditional African-American family, that is taboo. Adults were always to be addressed with a title." Among her memorable teachers were Latin teacher Martin Moore, and Head of Upper School and history teacher Lawrence Gibson. "They both obviously loved what they were teaching. I loved their passion for their subject," she said.

She also recalls her first Meeting for Worship, and still thinks highly of the experience.  "Because I now teach American religion, I can truly see how important Quaker values are to a BFS education," she said, adding that she learned  "a small group of committed people can change the world. Religious progressives must be a part of the political process," she stressed. "They must help to shape conversations and policy changes."  

She credits her teachers' passion with inspiring her to double-major in English and Religion at Princeton. She didn't stop there.  "I went right to Cornell University after Princeton, earning my Master’s Degree and doctorate," she added. "Both places were wonderful but I have a special love for my alma mater, Princeton.  I was very prepared for the rigors of college after my four years of BFS," she said.

Today she is Dr. Pierce, an academic who taught for nearly a decade at the University of Kentucky before returning to her beloved Princeton where she teaches religion, literature and theology courses.  By age 30 she had become a tenured faculty, the Elmer G. Homrighausen Associate Professor of African American Religion and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary, and Liaison with the Princeton University Center for African American Studies. 

"As part of my appointment at the Seminary I'm preparing future ministers, pastors, and church leaders," she explained. "I'm humbled by this task.  I pray that through my work I'm helping to shape religious thought in America."

She is the author of the book Hell Without Fires: Slavery, Christianity and the African-American Spiritual Narrative, and is in the midst of completing a new book, Religious Ecstasy and African-American Cultural Expression," which explores modern religious rituals including spirit possession, speaking in tongues and divine healing.

Despite her many accolades, Pierce finds joy in life's seemingly smaller victories. "I think my favorite moments are when my former students contact me and inform me of the wonderful things they are doing. There is no better feeling."

Outside of academia, Dr. Pierce is also a devoted minister. "My work is my vocation, it is my calling from God," she said. "So pretty much everything I do is related to it in some ways, including political activity."  She stressed her point. "The Quaker insists that 'there is that of God in everyone.'  If you truly believe this," she added, quoting Christ, "it allows you to love your neighbor – to care for the 'least of these.'"

She is also active in the public charter school at which her daughter, "the world's sweetest fourth grader," is enrolled. 

Her advice to the current generation of BFS students hinges on engagement, freedom and a spirit of exploration. "Soak up every moment, try something new, something you have never done before. Take time and cherish your friendships and make spiritual and ethical concerns a priority. You can change the world."