In Sync

Senior Co-Presidents Liam Wilson ’27 and Anjola Adepoju ’27 are in sync. Like, really in sync.

Wilson, who would like to see the Class of 2027 engage in campus beautification projects, can’t even get the words out of his mouth before Adepoju knows precisely where he’s going: “Purple flowers” they say in unison before bursting into laughter.

Moments later, when discussing what photograph of them to use for this story, they do it again, a one-voiced exclamation: “Use the piggy back one!”

“We’ve been close since freshman year,” says Adepoju, explaining their on-the-same-page-ness.  “We’re really connected.”

You might even find this duo humming the same tunes around campus. They sing together in the choral music group, the Andreans, and the a capella group, Noxontones, for which they also serve as senior co-heads with Margaret Taylor ’27.

In fact, it was their deep friendship that inspired Adepoju to run for the co-presidency after Wilson threw his hat in the ring. “I thought we’d do well together,” she says. “I also wanted to make my parents proud because of all the sacrifices they made for me to be here.”

Wilson, from Washington, D.C., and Adepoju, from Easton, Pa., had different paths to St. Andrew’s but with one commonality: boarding school wasn’t on either’s vision board.

Wilson was likely headed to his public high school, and Adepoju to a private day school.

A tour of St. Andrew’s Wilson’s eighth-grade year, plus a Visit Back Day that he’ll never forget, sold him. “I was shocked by how welcoming people were, and how genuine,” he says. “People were actually interested in what I had to say. It’s evident when people care about you, and people here care because we're a family.”

Adepoju, a student with A Better Chance program, which connects high-performing students from underserved communities with the nation’s top schools, was headed elsewhere before St. Andrew’s came into the conversation.

At first, she said no. Then, a few weeks later, “I literally was panicking,” she says. “Why did I say no? Why the heck would I say no? St. Andrew’s is an opportunity that won't come again.” She reversed course and said “yes.” After a few weeks on campus, it dawned on her: this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Neither had St. Andrew’s on their radar. Now, neither can imagine anything else.

“When I consider my progress at St. Andrew’s, I would never change it for the world,” Adepoju says.  

As co-presidents, one of their north star values is respect. For Wilson, that means a hushed procession to Chapel on Wednesday nights, starting with students quietly tucking their benches under the tables in the Dining Hall before taking that sacred, time-honored walk to Chapel together. “It’s a small thing,” he says, “but it’s something that shows what we stand for and who we are.”

For Adepoju, it’s more physical—a matter of how Saints treat the rooms they share. “Cleanliness and respect for our community spaces is important,” she says. “I don’t want to see any all-school emails from faculty showing how students disrespected our spaces.” The co-presidents agree: respect is what you show when no one's watching.

Adepoju also hopes to use her platform to promote inclusivity, particularly when it comes to cross-grade relationships, which she considers a measuring stick for success. “When those are healthy, the culture is working,” she says.

They want to work together to bring the energy of the Front Lawn inside. “We’re still figuring out what that looks like, but during the winter, we want the Dining Hall to be just as busy as the Front Lawn in spring,” Adepoju says. “No one in their rooms, everyone together.”

Then they both settle, without prompting, on the same word: “Privilege.”

“The second you think St. Andrew's isn’t a privilege,” Wilson says, “you start to bring down the level of what it means to be here.”

As for how they’ll lead together, “We’re not indecisive,” Wilson says. “We both have things we care about individually and together.” Adepoju frames it in terms Wilson, a blur of red hair on the basketball court, understands: man-to-man coverage. “If Liam's having a rough day, that’s when I step in. I got him,” she says. “The same goes for Liam: he’d do that or me.”

She’s quick to note they're not identical. “Liam's really athletic and has tons of energy,” she says. “Anjola is just as energetic, and is on top of her schedule and very responsible,” Wilson quickly interjects. “All this to say, we’re two different people, but we partner together well,” says Adepoju. “We’ll get things done,” Wilson adds. “We want to be the type of co-presidents who foster a genuine community—one where we do the things St. Andrew’s students do because we actually believe in them.”

Right now, both are looking forward to a series of first this week: first sports practices, first School Meeting, first Chapel, the first Frosty Run (an only-at-SAS back-to-school tradition wherein Saints descend upon Wendy’s across the state of Delaware and share Frosties) for new students, and more.

“The energy we carry as presidents is going to show throughout the school,” Adepoju says. “It starts with us.”