When Rahsaan Bernard Jr. attends Stanford University this fall, it won’t be the first time that he wears Cardinal red.
His mother DeLise Bernard went to Stanford, and “she always hyped it up my whole life,” he said, adding, “I have baby photos of me in Stanford gear.”
At Stanford, the salutatorian of the class of 2026 at St. John’s College High School in Washington plans to major in Management Science and Engineering, which focuses on the intersection of engineering, business and public policy.
While he is unsure what career he might pursue, “I definitely want to do something that gives back to the community,” he said, noting that his father, Rahsaan Bernard Sr. earlier served as the president of a nonprofit, Building Bridges Across the River, that provides access to health care, the arts and economic opportunity to people in Southeast Washington.
Rahsaan Bernard Jr., an 18-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., attends Anacostia River Church with his family. He has two younger sisters, Rielle, a rising junior at St. John’s, and RaeLynn, who will be a freshman at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington.
His service during his years at St. John’s included helping with programming for youth at his godfather’s Baptist Church. Then during his junior year, he helped out with food distribution to people in need. “It really helped me develop a sense of empathy,” he said, noting that he made friends with some of the youth whom he met, and came to understand the challenges that they are facing. “That changed my perspective. It made me want to give back more.”
During his senior year at St. John’s, Bernard served as a peer minister, helping to lead retreats and student discussions about God. “I enjoyed being part of my peers’ faith life… It helped me grow in my faith,” he said.
After participating in crew and basketball, Bernard ran on the St. John’s track team for all four of his years there, and this year was a top runner in the D.C. area in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles. He also competed in the 400-meter dash and the 4x400, 4X200 and the 4X100 relays. This year, the St. John’s track team earned second place in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
“I’ve been running the best races I had in my life. I think it’s just because of the approach I had,” he said.
Bernard, who hopes to try out for the Stanford track team, said that while running for St. John’s, he learned important life lessons, like having the determination and perseverance to push through hard times.
As a student athlete, he had to overcome several injuries, including fractures in his back, and he had hip surgery which kept him from competing during his junior year.
As one of the top students at St. John’s, he participated in the De La Salle Scholar Program, and in his senior project and presentation, “The Hurt Runners Bible” he drew on the mindsets that he learned to overcome sports injuries, and he also shadowed a physical therapist to explain the care he received during his recuperation.
Bernard said a good metaphor for his approach is something he learned in competing in 300-meter hurdle races, “you have to attack the hurdle and look past it,” because if you focus on the hurdle, you might stumble past it instead of leaping over it.
At St. John’s, Bernard’s favorite classes have included Latin, calculus and Advanced Placement macroeconomics and microeconomics. After taking Mandarin Chinese before entering St. John’s as a freshman, he took Latin as his language course for four years.
“Knowing Latin words helps me piece together the meaning of words,” said Bernard, noting that has helped him excel on college entrance exams. He is a member of the Latin National Honor Society and served as the president of St. John’s Latin Club, which has had meetings on special days in the Roman calendar including the Ides of March.
Bernard has also been a leader in the Black Student Union at St. John’s, which he said has offered him another community at the school where students can get to know each other and talk about their experiences.
As his graduation day approached, he said, “I’m kind of scared to leave my siblings, those are my best friends. I feel like I’m ready to move on. I chose a school across the country. I always have faith that God will make everything work out.”
When asked about the impact that St. John’s had and will continue to have on his life, Bernard said, “St. John’s has shown me that you can find community anywhere.”
At the school, he enjoyed the communities he got to know on the track team, and in the Black Student Union and the Latin Club.
“There were so many places I felt welcome… I knew I’d never be alone. St. John’s really showed me if I really opened up, I could find my community anywhere,” said the student who will soon be putting on Stanford gear again.
