Meet the Prefects: Helen Blain (’20)

The article below is part of a series introducing students and their families to the prefects for the 2021 Great Books High School Summer Program. To read the series in full as it is published, visit the Summer Program Blog.

Alumna Helen Blain (’20) returns to the Summer Program for her fifth year as a prefect in California and her first in New England. Since graduating from TAC last year, she has completed her first year of graduate studies at the Augustine Institute, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in theology. 

“My favorite thing about each program from every year has been the dramatic differences in dynamics between the beginning and end of the program,” Helen reminisces. “That first day, all the attendees arrive from vastly different places and with different expectations for their next two weeks. But by the end of the program, they have all experienced the same things, prayed together, studied together, laughed together — and the bond this produces is extraordinary.”

Helen encourages attendees to fearlessly lean into the classroom material. “Do not be daunted by difficult texts; take advantage of this opportunity to begin reading some of the greatest thinkers of all time,” she says. She firmly believes learning to be one of the most joyous experiences one can undertake, especially with friends.