Real conversations and lasting friendships at WC serve Emerson and Nikalena Patrick well.
As they prepare to welcome their first child this June, Worthington Christian graduates Emerson and Nikalena (Raikes) Patrick (WC 17) are already thinking about the question they’ll one day be asked: What was high school like?
“That’s a tough question,” said Nikalena, who works as a first-grade teacher at the elementary school. “It was a special time; Emerson and I met at WC, so that would be the first thing I’ll tell her. So many of our family and friends we spend time with are from the school.”
“We had real conversations with teachers and classmates,” said Emerson, who works as a Certified Public Accountant. “I always felt like teachers gave you various opportunities to help you learn.”
Not only did Worthington Christian bring the Patricks together, but it also helped prepare them for their careers, shaped many of their closest relationships, and continues to guide this next chapter of their lives.
Emerson teases his wife about not being a “lifer” (attending the school from kindergarten through his senior year) – a distinction Nikalena missed by four years. She was enrolled in the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs, but was homeschooled for four years before returning in fifth grade.
While she may not be a lifer, Nikalena has already surpassed the amount of time her husband spent at the school. Aside from her homeschool years and four years at Liberty University, it’s been as if she never left.
Nikalena did her student teaching at Worthington Christian’s kindergarten and elementary schools during the 2020-21 school year and was hired to teach first grade the following year.
“Even when I was home-schooled, my mom (Lisa Raikes, the director of recruitment) worked there, so I was there all the time,” said Nikalena, who has worked at the school for five years. “Coming back and working here has been such a blessing.”
Nikalena’s favorite part of her job has been watching kids grow in their knowledge of the Bible. She admits it’s been “very surreal” working with the children of her previous teachers.
“(My previous WC teachers) spent so much time pouring into me. So then for me to get to do the same thing with their kids is exciting,” Nikalena said. “To see the similarities and differences of their parents’ personalities and their kids is always so fun.”
Even as a child, Nikalena knew she wanted to teach. Her mother and her grandmother (Linda Hassey) were educators. When she was little, she would arrange her stuffed animals and even her reluctant siblings – Alanna (Raikes) Crawford (WC ’19), Elia (WC ’21), and Hobie (WC ’24) – as students in her imaginary classroom.
In high school, Nikalena shadowed former WC first-grade teacher Hannah Schapp. As a graduation requirement at Liberty, she completed her student teaching at a kindergarten and an elementary school before being hired the following year.
“I feel like His hand was over the whole situation,” she said. “I always knew I’d love to come back at some point, but I didn’t think He would arrange everything so perfectly like He did.”
While his wife knew exactly what she wanted to do, Emerson discovered his calling as a CPA at Liberty.
“(As a freshman) you get put into these introductory classes,” said Emerson, whose sister Maddie (WC ’20) also graduated from Worthington Christian. “Eventually you find out what you like and what you want to do and you stick to that.”
According to Emerson, Worthington Christian gave him the life skills he needed for his career – not just business skills, but also interpersonal skills.
According to a Civic Science survey, only 12% of U.S. adults say they still talk to many people from high school, 41% say they stay connected with a few, and 47% say they don’t regularly talk to anyone from high school.
Nearly a decade after receiving his diploma, Emerson remains in close contact with the friends he formed in high school.
“I have a good number of friends who are kind of on the same path as me,” Emerson said. “When we get together now, we talk about the old days. Seeing where we are now versus where we were then is pretty special.”
From fifth grade on, Emerson can’t remember a time when he wasn’t with Nikalena. The two attended middle school and high school, then Liberty University together. The two married in June 2021.
“We were just friends through school,” he said. “I’m not sure there was a time when things changed. (Laughs) I would hope so, but there was not one event in particular … at least that I remember.”
Now the two are ready to take another humongous step with the birth of their child this June. Emerson said he’s excited but realizes there’s “going to be a big change” in their lives.
“I’m excited about the unknown aspect of it,” he said. “The things Nikalena and I do together, we get to do as a family. We’re going to be a family of three now instead of just the two of us.”
By the time their daughter is old enough to ask what high school was like, Emerson and Nikalena will have plenty to tell her. And if their story is any indication, she may one day discover the same thing—they may have graduated from Worthington Christian, but they never really left it.
Editor’s Note: Emerson and Nikalena welcomed a daughter earlier this month. The Patricks wrote: Our “light little” joined us on June 7. Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” We pray that our sweet girl will always be a light to those around her and will be a vessel for the Kingdom of Heaven.”