Spotlight: Sofie Nordengaard

Walking through the halls with her cool skater style, sixth grader Sofie Nordengaard looks like your average Seabury student. Stick around, however, and you won’t regret getting to know her. Along with her charming personality and mixed artistic and athletic pursuits, Nordengaard and her family celebrate a rich heritage that is uncommon for the area.

While Nordengaard herself primarily grew up in the states, her family hails from Denmark. “Both of my parents are from Denmark, and I was born in Sweden. My sister was born in Paris. So all my family lives in Denmark and are from there of course,” says Nordengaard.

This means that sometimes holidays look a little different for her and her family: “Our Christmas is a lot different from [Kansas]. We have a lot of different traditions. On Christmas Eve we have a rice pudding that we make, and one of them has an almond in it. Whoever has the almond gets an extra gift.”

Another way that Sofie celebrates her heritage is through language, specifically Danish, the official language of Denmark. “I am able to speak, read and write danish,” says Nordengaard.

However, her cultural background is just one part of who she is. Nordengaard also likes to spend her time in a variety of ways, from skateboarding to drawing on ProCreate, and from snowboarding to playing on Seabury’s middle school girls soccer team, which allows her to enjoy her favorite part of Seabury: the community. “It’s easier to know people and to have good friends [at Seabury], especially across grades,” says Nordengaard.

No matter what grade you are in, you will probably find Sofie pretty cool, so don’t be afraid to talk to her. You may learn a lot!