The Magazine of Cary Academy | Summer 2019
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
SUMMER <strong>2019</strong><br />
ALUM LOOKS<br />
TO THE PAST TO<br />
BUILD A BETTER<br />
FUTURE<br />
page 4<br />
OUT OF THE<br />
CLASSROOM<br />
AND INTO THE<br />
WORKPLACE<br />
page 12<br />
Inspiring<br />
innovation<br />
page 10<br />
Do you DICE?<br />
(<strong>The</strong>y do.)<br />
page 14<br />
Finding the<br />
right college fit<br />
page 16<br />
Oh, the places<br />
they’ve gone<br />
page 18<br />
On-field success<br />
takes leadership<br />
page 32
FROM THE<br />
HEAD OF SCHOOL<br />
<strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>: Where fun goes to die<br />
Not much <strong>of</strong> a slogan, eh?<br />
So, imagine my surprise when some parents and<br />
students recently told me that this was the “word on<br />
the street” regarding <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>’s reputation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> context <strong>of</strong> those conversations—and context<br />
matters—was that these folks were telling me<br />
how happy they were with their <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
experience and how it ran counter to what they<br />
feel is a false narrative about the school.<br />
Phew!<br />
It did get me thinking, though, about the origin<br />
<strong>of</strong> this conventional wisdom. At its core, I think,<br />
is the belief that you work hard at <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
That is fair—and I’d also list it as a point <strong>of</strong> pride<br />
stretching back to the school’s founding.<br />
Where I think the narrative misses the mark<br />
is that it assumes— falsely—that working hard<br />
and liking school must be the opposite <strong>of</strong> fun.<br />
That might be the case elsewhere, but it does not<br />
reflect our reality.<br />
In this issue <strong>of</strong> ?, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>,<br />
we share many stories that highlight the power <strong>of</strong><br />
our unique learning community: from the Mission<br />
Awards in the Upper School to the support from<br />
our community that has brought transformative<br />
change to our campus. Of special note are the<br />
alumni stories, which showcase the many ways the<br />
people and programs <strong>of</strong> this school have had an<br />
impact on the lives <strong>of</strong> young people.<br />
students to grow as learners and individuals,<br />
buoyed by unending resources and support.”<br />
Said another: “[CA] gave me the best seven years<br />
<strong>of</strong> my life and set me up to have many, many<br />
more beyond.”<br />
Recent research conducted by Denise Pope at<br />
the Stanford University Graduate School <strong>of</strong><br />
Education uncovered the most essential elements<br />
<strong>of</strong> an impactful college experience. <strong>The</strong>y include<br />
taking class with teachers who made learning<br />
exciting; working with teachers who cared about<br />
their students; finding a mentor; working on a<br />
long-term project; participating in internships<br />
that applied classroom learning; and being active<br />
in extracurricular activities.<br />
As we are embroiled in a national conversation<br />
about the future <strong>of</strong> work and the importance <strong>of</strong><br />
higher education, the <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> formula<br />
strikes just the right balance in all these areas.<br />
We are preparing our students to take full<br />
advantage <strong>of</strong> their college experience. It is the<br />
beginning—not the end—<strong>of</strong> their learning path.<br />
And the best part: it can be really fun—if you<br />
find the right people to share the journey.<br />
Mike Ehrhardt, Head <strong>of</strong> School<br />
Said one alum in our recent biannual alumni<br />
engagement survey: “<strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> prepared me<br />
to think critically and empathetically. <strong>The</strong> school<br />
created an atmosphere that constantly challenged
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
SUMMER <strong>2019</strong><br />
In this issue<br />
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM<br />
Mandy Dailey<br />
Dean Sauls<br />
Dan Smith<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Dean Sauls<br />
Dan Smith<br />
<strong>The</strong> CA community<br />
HEAD OF SCHOOL<br />
Michael Ehrhardt<br />
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS<br />
Heather Clarkson<br />
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS<br />
Mandy Dailey<br />
HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL<br />
Robin Follet<br />
DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES<br />
Jess Garcia<br />
DEAN OF FACULTY<br />
Martina Greene<br />
HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL<br />
Marti Jenkins<br />
4<br />
Looking back to look<br />
forward<br />
Brandon Byrd’s experience at CA helped shape<br />
his passion for history. Now, he inspires students<br />
at Vanderbilt University to think critically about<br />
the past, present, and future.<br />
16<br />
Dream team<br />
<strong>The</strong> college search is a critical, yet complex<br />
process. Thankfully, CA’s college counselors<br />
are here to help.<br />
DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND<br />
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT<br />
Danielle Johnson-Webb<br />
10<br />
Partners in innovation<br />
18<br />
College chronicles<br />
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY<br />
AND INNOVATION<br />
Karen McKenzie<br />
Sometimes, innovation needs a kickstart from<br />
an angel investor. PTAA Grants help faculty and<br />
students dream big, reach for the stars, and<br />
push the pedagogical envelope.<br />
Getting into college isn’t the finish line; it’s<br />
the next step <strong>of</strong> a lifelong learning journey.<br />
Twelve CA alumni share stories <strong>of</strong> finding their<br />
right-fit schools.<br />
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT<br />
Ali Page<br />
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER<br />
Deborah Reichel<br />
14<br />
Walking the walk<br />
What exactly do CA’s core commitments to<br />
discovery, innovation, collaboration, excellence,<br />
and community look like in practice? <strong>The</strong>se<br />
students will show you.<br />
32<br />
Top <strong>of</strong> his game<br />
It took Ray Pope some time to warm up to the<br />
idea <strong>of</strong> coaching high school baseball. At CA,<br />
he’s found his dream job—in a role he’d never<br />
dreamed <strong>of</strong>.<br />
is published three times<br />
a year by <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
CARY ACADEMY<br />
1500 N. Harrison Avenue<br />
<strong>Cary</strong>, North Carolina 27513<br />
(919) 677-3873<br />
Campus<br />
News<br />
2<br />
Snapshots<br />
12<br />
Alumni<br />
News<br />
35<br />
<strong>The</strong> Big<br />
Question<br />
36<br />
www.caryacademy.org<br />
Dinosaurs, Shakespeare, family, and… homework? Students<br />
and faculty set their time travel itineraries. page 37
Campus News<br />
<strong>Summer</strong> spruce-up<br />
<strong>The</strong> classrooms may be empty, but campus<br />
is certainly abuzz with activity this summer<br />
as major renovations are underway.<br />
A significant remodel <strong>of</strong> the library will<br />
begin this summer and continue throughout<br />
T1. Changes will include a new layout for<br />
the circulation desk, improved study and<br />
meeting spaces, and a new technology<br />
collaboratory. <strong>The</strong> reconfiguration will also<br />
create the Charger Café, which will serve as<br />
a social space and provide the opportunity<br />
for entrepreneurially-minded students to<br />
dip their toes in business ventures.<br />
<strong>The</strong> weight room is undergoing a muchneeded<br />
expansion—nearly doubling in size—<br />
with new <strong>of</strong>fices for CA's Athletic Trainers<br />
and a full-time Strength and Conditioning<br />
Coach. CA's Track and Field Stadium is<br />
being upgraded to an Olympic-quality<br />
Mondo Super X Performance track, making<br />
CA the first school in North Carolina with<br />
a Mondo surface. A new pressbox, with<br />
improved restroom facilities, is under<br />
construction at the baseball field.<br />
CAMPAIGN FOR CA<br />
Thanks to an outpouring <strong>of</strong> support, the<br />
Campaign for <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> charged ahead<br />
this year. In addition to completing the original<br />
campus master plan with the opening <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Center for Math and Science, we expanded<br />
financial aid support for CA families, began<br />
enhancement projects on facilities and<br />
classrooms across campus, and started<br />
construction on new spaces. To date, the CA<br />
community has contributed $11.8M towards<br />
our $12M goal. With one year left to go, there’s<br />
still time to be a part <strong>of</strong> this community-wide<br />
effort to take CA to the next level. To all <strong>of</strong> you<br />
who have already contributed: we thank you!<br />
THANK YOU, AND FAREWELL<br />
This spring, the CA community came<br />
together to express our gratitude and share<br />
our memories <strong>of</strong> our retiring faculty and staff<br />
members: Ellen Doyle—school nurse, Ellen<br />
Gooding—US counselor, Darshana Wani—<br />
College Counseling Administrative Assistant,<br />
Jimmy Welch—Landscape Manager, and Kay<br />
Parks—US fine arts teacher.<br />
We also wish to express our appreciation<br />
and well wishes for those who are moving<br />
on: Nicky Allen—MS math teacher, Paul<br />
Brunell—Facilities Technician, Napoleon<br />
Lherisson—US social sciences teacher,<br />
Kathleen Mason ('08)—Alumni Programs<br />
and Giving Coordinator, Yenisel Solis—US<br />
Spanish teacher, and Troy K. Weaver—US<br />
science teacher.<br />
HATS OFF TO OUR ESTEEMED<br />
FACULTY<br />
Associate Director <strong>of</strong> College Counseling<br />
Brandon Carter received the <strong>2019</strong> Curran<br />
Family Foundation Leadership in Teaching<br />
Award. US history teacher Dr. Robert Coven<br />
has been selected to be a team leader<br />
and presenter at Kent State University's<br />
prestigious international symposium: Re-<br />
Designing Education to Shape a Better<br />
World, this summer, in Florence, Italy. US<br />
English teacher Allyson Buie earned an M.A.<br />
in English from Southern New Hampshire<br />
University. Library Director Brian Pugsley<br />
earned an M.S. in Library Science from UNC-<br />
Chapel Hill. MS world cultures teacher Katie<br />
Levinthal and MS German teacher Gabriele<br />
Verhoeven were accepted into this summer’s<br />
<strong>2019</strong> Atlantik-Brücke Transatlantic Teachers’<br />
Study Trip.<br />
MS TRACK AND FIELD REIGN AS<br />
CONFERENCE CHAMPS<br />
Congratulations to both the boys’ and girls’<br />
Middle School track and field teams for<br />
3-peating as Capital Area Middle School<br />
Conference champions! <strong>The</strong> Chargers set<br />
eight new conference championship records<br />
and achieved 22 personal bests while racing<br />
to the championship.<br />
MS BAND RANKS SUPERIOR<br />
<strong>The</strong> Middle School band was awarded the<br />
top honor <strong>of</strong> Superior from the judges at the<br />
NC Central District Bandmasters Association<br />
Music Performance Adjudication in March,<br />
where they competed against dozens <strong>of</strong><br />
schools from across the state. <strong>The</strong> award<br />
marks the first Superior honor for CA's band<br />
since 2007.<br />
Two<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
Congratulations<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
At commencement, CA's 20th graduating<br />
class was welcomed to the alumni community<br />
by Holly May ('05), who <strong>of</strong>fered her insight<br />
as a Silicon Valley innovator and scholar.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Class <strong>of</strong> <strong>2019</strong> is headed to 36 different<br />
colleges and universities in 18 states, plus<br />
the District <strong>of</strong> Columbia, Canada, and<br />
England. Ten Charger athletes will play at<br />
the collegiate level. Colleges with more than<br />
two CA students attending are: Appalachian<br />
State University, Davidson College, Duke<br />
University, North Carolina State University,<br />
Tufts University, University <strong>of</strong> North Carolina—<br />
Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, and<br />
Washington University in St. Louis.
Alumni Spotlight<br />
LOOKING BACK<br />
TO<br />
LOOK FORWARD<br />
Brandon Byrd’s (’05) love <strong>of</strong><br />
history has deeply personal roots.<br />
“I came to an initial interest in history the way a<br />
lot <strong>of</strong> folks do—by just generally taking an interest<br />
in my own personal history,” muses Byrd. “I was<br />
enamored by the stories that my family would<br />
share and pass down, stories <strong>of</strong> my grandparents’<br />
and great grandparents’ experiences, all <strong>of</strong> whom<br />
passed before I was born or shortly thereafter.”<br />
For Byrd—Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> History at Vanderbilt University,<br />
accomplished researcher, and published author—these stories were<br />
always relevant beyond mere familial anecdotes. <strong>The</strong>y represented<br />
much larger stories, and more complex histories, including some <strong>of</strong><br />
the most defining moments in African American history.<br />
Four<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
Photo Credit: Chioke A. Ianson<br />
Byrd delivering a presentation at the 2016 Global Garveyism Symposium<br />
“My mom talked a lot about the Great<br />
Migration—the movement <strong>of</strong> tens <strong>of</strong><br />
thousands <strong>of</strong> African Americans out<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Jim Crow South to the North,<br />
Midwest, and later to the West—that her<br />
family was a part <strong>of</strong>,” Byrd <strong>of</strong>fers as an<br />
example. “It was those larger historical<br />
narratives—those that I had a personal<br />
connection to—that attracted me,<br />
intrigued me.”<br />
He credits <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>—and the<br />
engaged, collegiate-quality faculty that<br />
took an interest in him, both in and out <strong>of</strong><br />
the classroom—for nurturing that initial<br />
interest, fanning it into a passion that<br />
would ultimately become the bedrock <strong>of</strong><br />
a meaningful humanities career.<br />
“Being a historian now, I can clearly<br />
trace the influence that CA faculty—<br />
Conrad Hall, Joe Staggers, Bill Velto,<br />
and others—had on my thinking. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
taught me to approach history in a more<br />
systematic manner, taught me how to go<br />
from merely consuming stories to thinking<br />
historically, to thinking about change over<br />
time, to thinking about causality.”<br />
He fondly recalls one <strong>of</strong> his literature<br />
teachers in the Upper School, Chuck<br />
Burdick, to whom he had expressed a<br />
growing interest in slave narratives and<br />
abolitionist literature.<br />
“He took me on a book talk and signing<br />
by a historian that had just published<br />
the first biography <strong>of</strong> Harriet Jacobs, the<br />
author <strong>of</strong> Incidents in the Life <strong>of</strong> a Slave<br />
Girl,” reflects Byrd. “For someone to take<br />
that interest, to take time out <strong>of</strong> their<br />
personal life to help an (at that time)<br />
Six<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
pretty brash, cocky high school student<br />
pursue his interest—it was impactful.”<br />
It is perhaps little surprise that<br />
Byrd—embarking on his college career<br />
at Davidson College on an academic<br />
scholarship—confidently declared his<br />
major in history within his first weeks<br />
on campus. Later, he gained admittance<br />
into the honors history program,<br />
which allowed him to spend a year<br />
developing an independent research<br />
project to explore the life <strong>of</strong> Charles<br />
Clinton Spaulding, a prominent black<br />
businessman and intellectual leader in<br />
Durham, North Carolina.<br />
That project would prove to be<br />
a springboard, <strong>of</strong>fering a deeper<br />
introduction to the black intellectualism<br />
that would ultimately become the focus<br />
<strong>of</strong> his career. This early work would go on<br />
to inform his later research as he earned<br />
a Master’s degree from the University <strong>of</strong><br />
William and Mary, and PhD from the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> North Carolina.<br />
Byrd identifies first and foremost as<br />
an intellectual historian. Fascinated by<br />
the history <strong>of</strong> ideas, his specific research<br />
centers on the international dimensions <strong>of</strong><br />
black intellectual history. As a pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
first at Mississippi State University and,<br />
currently, at Vanderbilt University, he<br />
teaches a full course load—including<br />
classes like “Black Lives Matter,” “Black<br />
Thinkers from Equiano to Obama,” and<br />
“Readings in African American History”—<br />
to undergraduate and graduate students.<br />
He also pursues his research agenda and<br />
contributes to the administration <strong>of</strong> his<br />
department and the university.<br />
Byrd sees reflections <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
in his approach to teaching. No more so<br />
than when he’s pushing the pedagogical<br />
envelope, asking students to think<br />
critically or in ways that might question<br />
a predominant narrative.<br />
“I remember taking Bill Velto’s class<br />
on terrorism in the years immediately<br />
following 9/11,” reflects Byrd. “It was a<br />
moment when the general American<br />
public was being asked to think pretty<br />
uncritically about terrorism. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />
having terrorism defined for them and<br />
they were being told ‘this is what it is to<br />
combat terror.’ In Velto’s class, we were<br />
being asked to think more critically, to<br />
consider the global roots and terms <strong>of</strong><br />
terrorism. In hindsight, it was remarkable.”<br />
“BEING A HISTORIAN NOW,<br />
I CAN CLEARLY TRACE<br />
THE INFLUENCE THAT CA<br />
FACULTY—CONRAD HALL,<br />
JOE STAGGERS, BILL VELTO,<br />
AND OTHERS—HAD ON MY<br />
THINKING.”<br />
It is an approach that stuck with him.<br />
He notes that his Black Lives Matter<br />
class, while dissimilar in content, shares<br />
its pedagogical roots in those early liberal<br />
arts classes at CA that initially stretched<br />
his thinking.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Black Lives Matter movement<br />
is also something defined largely in<br />
sweeping, generalized, and reactionary<br />
terms,” explains Byrd. “In my class, I<br />
try to take that and say ‘Well, let’s try to<br />
think about this. What is this movement?<br />
How does it fit into a broader global<br />
history <strong>of</strong> activism? What are the<br />
problems related to it? What can we learn<br />
if we stop assuming that we already know<br />
the answers?’”<br />
That emphasis on the global, on the<br />
broader context, is indicative <strong>of</strong> Byrd’s<br />
larger research interests. For Byrd,<br />
examining historic African American<br />
intellectuals within their full global<br />
context—understanding how they<br />
and their ideas moved across and<br />
transcended national boundaries and<br />
how that, in turn, shaped their politics<br />
and intellectual practice—is crucial.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Seven
As for what is next for<br />
Byrd, he is excited that<br />
a project that began<br />
as his dissertation will<br />
soon be shared with the<br />
world as a book—<strong>The</strong><br />
Black Republic: African<br />
Americans and the Fate<br />
<strong>of</strong> Haiti.<br />
Byrd commenting<br />
at Vanderbilt’s<br />
Wrestling<br />
with the Past<br />
Symposium,<br />
March 2018<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re has always been a global<br />
dimension to African American history,”<br />
explains Byrd. “If we want to truly<br />
understand historical black intellectuals,<br />
truly understand the world as they saw<br />
it, we have to think in international<br />
terms, in part because that is how they<br />
identified within their world.”<br />
He continues, “Take the abolitionists,<br />
for example. <strong>The</strong>y didn’t view slavery as<br />
an institution that was peculiar to the<br />
South, or even peculiar to the United<br />
States. <strong>The</strong>ir activism was based in a<br />
broader understanding <strong>of</strong> slavery’s<br />
international dimensions—how it was<br />
rooted in global networks <strong>of</strong> trade and<br />
commerce that connected Africa to<br />
Liverpool, England to merchants in New<br />
York to slaveholders in Georgia.<br />
“And, that’s just one example, you can<br />
easily pull out others from across the<br />
decades,” explains Byrd. “<strong>The</strong> civil rights<br />
activists <strong>of</strong> the 1950s and ‘60s, the Black<br />
Power advocates <strong>of</strong> the ‘70’s, they all used<br />
similar transnational thinking. For them,<br />
thinking about desegregation meant also<br />
thinking about decolonization in Africa.<br />
It’s why, for a famous example, Dr. Martin<br />
Luther King, Jr. was in Ghana on the day<br />
<strong>of</strong> Ghanaian independence in 1957.”<br />
Photo Credit: John Russell/Vanderbilt<br />
For Byrd, his research feels particularly<br />
timely, helping to explain and understand<br />
not only the past, but the current fraught<br />
historical moment, perhaps even <strong>of</strong>fering<br />
strategies for future activism.<br />
“Black intellectuals have historically<br />
grappled with complex issues that<br />
transcend time and context: slavery;<br />
equality; what democracy means, how it<br />
can be achieved, and for whom; how to<br />
affect political change. <strong>The</strong>ir thinking on<br />
these topics is all still incredibly relevant<br />
today and probably will be in 100 years,”<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers Byrd.<br />
“Consider Frederick Douglass<br />
questioning the project <strong>of</strong> America in<br />
his famous address What to the Slave<br />
is the Fourth <strong>of</strong> July?. <strong>The</strong>n, look at<br />
the headlines, the uproar over Colin<br />
Kaepernick kneeling during the national<br />
anthem. Suddenly, in that context, the<br />
use <strong>of</strong> that moment does not come as<br />
a surprise nor does the backlash or the<br />
continued insistence on activism.”<br />
As for what is next for Byrd, he is<br />
excited that a project that began as his<br />
dissertation will soon be shared with<br />
the world as a book. <strong>The</strong> Black Republic:<br />
African Americans and the Fate <strong>of</strong> Haiti<br />
considers the significance <strong>of</strong> Haitian<br />
independence in the imagination <strong>of</strong><br />
black intellectuals grappling with the<br />
possibilities <strong>of</strong> black freedom in the<br />
decades following the U.S. Civil War.<br />
It will be published this fall by the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Pennsylvania Press.<br />
This summer, he is digging into<br />
a new book project that will delve<br />
deeper into the social dimensions <strong>of</strong><br />
black intellectualism through a multigenerational<br />
family history <strong>of</strong> the Holly<br />
family. Patriarch James <strong>The</strong>odore Holly<br />
led a migration <strong>of</strong> African Americans<br />
from the United States to Haiti in the<br />
1860s and would become the first black<br />
bishop in the Protestant Episcopal<br />
Church. His descendants represent a long<br />
family tradition <strong>of</strong> black intellectualism<br />
and transnational activism.<br />
With this new research, Byrd hopes to<br />
gain insight into the intimate spaces <strong>of</strong><br />
Eight<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
political movements and how genealogies<br />
<strong>of</strong> activism and political thought are built.<br />
“One <strong>of</strong> the benefits <strong>of</strong> the family<br />
history angle is that, rather than just<br />
the church or the political <strong>of</strong>fice, I can<br />
consider the home as a central space<br />
<strong>of</strong> inquiry.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> inclusion <strong>of</strong> the home as a political<br />
space allows Byrd to delve deeper into<br />
the dimensions <strong>of</strong> his work that he<br />
finds most gratifying, most important,<br />
and perhaps most challenging: finding<br />
and elevating marginalized voices—<br />
particularly the voices <strong>of</strong> black women—<br />
whose inclusion <strong>of</strong>fers a more holistic<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong> history.<br />
“Finding voices <strong>of</strong> black women—<br />
many <strong>of</strong> whom were intentionally<br />
silenced for various reasons or who chose<br />
not to speak out in eras where visceral<br />
racism and patriarchy was the norm,<br />
even within black organizations—is<br />
challenging,” comments Byrd. “But, you<br />
have to find them. Folks that are on the<br />
margins <strong>of</strong> the archives—due to reasons<br />
<strong>of</strong> power, race, gender, or sexuality—<br />
were <strong>of</strong>ten at the center <strong>of</strong> the thinking<br />
and the action.”<br />
It is when Byrd gives voice to those<br />
marginalized figures and pieces together<br />
a historical narrative that reflects their<br />
true experience—an important step in<br />
advancing our understanding <strong>of</strong> both<br />
past and present—that he feels he is<br />
inching closer to his goal.<br />
“With my work, I am standing on the<br />
shoulders <strong>of</strong> scholars and historians who<br />
came before me. Scholars like John Hope<br />
Franklin and W.E.B. Du Bois contributed<br />
an almost unthinkable amount <strong>of</strong><br />
knowledge about African American, U.S.,<br />
and global history in an era where they<br />
couldn’t even go into archives,” <strong>of</strong>fers Byrd.<br />
“I don’t have the hubris to say that I am<br />
going to <strong>of</strong>fer the same paradigm-shifting<br />
work that they delivered, but I think<br />
I can nudge us forward. I can help us<br />
think differently about aspects <strong>of</strong> African<br />
American history, its transnational<br />
dimensions, what it means to the past,<br />
and <strong>of</strong>fers for the future. To me, that is a<br />
worthy and exciting goal.”<br />
ADVICE FOR CA STUDENTS<br />
“We’re in a time where the value <strong>of</strong> the humanities is under attack, where<br />
there is rhetoric that suggests that viable career paths are primarily STEMbased.<br />
It isn’t true. If you look at recent research and data, you’ll find that<br />
earnings for humanities majors keep pace with those <strong>of</strong> STEM majors.<br />
“Ignore the idea that this is a zero-sum game, the idea that there is only<br />
one path to success. Skills earned in the humanities can go everywhere and<br />
are requisite for success on the job market. Employers want that person<br />
that is the problem solver, that can think and write clearly, that can craft an<br />
argument, and that can spot gaps in other’s argumentation.<br />
“As you’re being told what disciplines to value, what courses to value,<br />
do your own homework. Read <strong>The</strong> Wall Street Journal, or Forbes, or the<br />
websites <strong>of</strong> various pr<strong>of</strong>essional organizations. <strong>The</strong>y can shed light on<br />
potential career path outcomes and tell you what it means, for example,<br />
to be a historian.” –Brandon Byrd<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Nine
Innovation has no sense <strong>of</strong> time. Inspiration springs forth without concern for the<br />
calendar. So, how do we respond to those innovative opportunities that arise in the<br />
middle <strong>of</strong> the academic year—opportunities to foster new initiatives, explore fresh<br />
ideas, and implement cutting-edge technologies?<br />
Enter CA’s Parent Teacher Administration Alliance (PTAA).<br />
<strong>The</strong> PTAA Grants Program helps to<br />
seed innovation by supporting small<br />
projects, equipment, and activities that<br />
enrich and enhance student interests<br />
within and beyond the classroom. This<br />
past academic year alone, the PTAA<br />
provided more than $23,000 in grants for<br />
eight student and faculty initiatives.<br />
Middle School math teacher Leslie<br />
Williams received funding to purchase<br />
a larger capacity and finer-detailed<br />
Ultimaker 3D printer that can print in<br />
dual color. <strong>The</strong> new printer, which is<br />
available to all Middle School students<br />
and faculty is part <strong>of</strong> a larger effort to<br />
ensure that every Middle School student<br />
is well-versed in Computer Aided Design<br />
(CAD). This past year, the printer was<br />
utilized by seventh-grade math students<br />
for their Change the World engineering<br />
challenge, in addition to other projects.<br />
To learn and teach critical life-saving<br />
skills, a grant sought by Parker Perkins<br />
(’20) and Upper School science and math<br />
teacher Delia Follet will enable the CA<br />
Search and Rescue Team to fully establish<br />
their presence on campus through the<br />
purchase <strong>of</strong> key equipment and materials.<br />
Ten<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
THIS PAST ACADEMIC<br />
YEAR ALONE, THE<br />
PTAA PROVIDED<br />
MORE THAN $23,000<br />
IN GRANTS FOR<br />
EIGHT STUDENT AND<br />
FACULTY INITIATIVES.<br />
Helping to interweave art into projects<br />
across campus, Upper School art teacher<br />
Caycee Lee secured funding to construct<br />
and outfit a mobile art cart to support<br />
and augment humanities projects.<br />
A farsighted PTAA grant will provide<br />
a clear vision for CA Athletics for years<br />
to come. Working in conjunction with<br />
Athletics Administrative Assistant<br />
Rebecca Watkins to identify needs, the<br />
Communications Department received<br />
funding for new lenses and camera<br />
equipment that will be on long-term loan<br />
to the Athletics Department.<br />
Last March, many parents and students<br />
attended Duke University Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Wilkie Wilson’s talk, “Healthy Brain:<br />
Understanding the Effects <strong>of</strong> Alcohol,<br />
Vaping, and Drugs on the Teen Brain.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> presentation, made possible with<br />
funding provided to Upper School<br />
Learning Specialist Laura Werner,<br />
was so impactful that several students<br />
consulted with Dr. Wilson for their<br />
capstone senior projects or other<br />
research they were pursuing.<br />
How do you take a hands-on approach<br />
to diving into microscopic subjects?<br />
PTAA funding will allow Upper School<br />
biology teacher Marissa Scoville’s<br />
students to explore DNA and protein<br />
molecules through cutting-edge physical<br />
models that will allow for abstract ideas<br />
to be more accessible, thereby enriching<br />
and enhancing the learning experience.<br />
Eleventh-grade English students will<br />
have their voices heard, thanks to the<br />
purchase <strong>of</strong> audio production equipment<br />
to explore podcasting in the classroom.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process <strong>of</strong> recording audio, both<br />
personally and through interviews, is<br />
an ideal blend <strong>of</strong> the humanities and<br />
technology, invoking expressive storytelling<br />
and analytical expression as an alternative<br />
to traditional essay writing. According to<br />
grantee Jamie Roszel, the format promotes<br />
the creative synthesis <strong>of</strong> ideas and provokes<br />
civil discourse and discussion, while also<br />
giving students more agency over their<br />
educational outcomes.<br />
Starting this summer, members <strong>of</strong> CA’s<br />
U.S. Association <strong>of</strong> Young Physicists’<br />
Tournament (USAYPT) team, Will<br />
Aarons (’20), Cameron Fisher (’19),<br />
Paul Ibrahim (’21), Aidan Sher (’20),<br />
and Abraham Weinstein (’19), and<br />
other Upper School physics students<br />
will reach for the stars through a new<br />
computer-guided telescope. Under<br />
the guidance <strong>of</strong> science teachers Matt<br />
Greenwolfe and Charlotte Kelly, and<br />
internal substitute Dick Mentock, they’ll<br />
use the telescope to collect data for<br />
USAYPT astronomy problems, produce<br />
spectacular astronomical photographs<br />
for the classrooms, and observe the<br />
heavens with a clarity and precision <strong>of</strong><br />
which CA’s 20-year-old existing telescope<br />
was incapable.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Eleven
Rising sophomores and seniors<br />
embraced on-the-job learning<br />
with local artists and designers,<br />
construction contractors, industrial<br />
engineers, pr<strong>of</strong>essional and<br />
collegiate sports teams, cuttingedge<br />
scientists and researchers,<br />
multimedia journalists, and other<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionals during the WORK<br />
EXPERIENCE PROGRAM.<br />
Snapshots<br />
During the WORLD LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM,<br />
the Class <strong>of</strong> 2021 hosted students from abroad, before<br />
traveling to Argentina, China, France, and Germany to gain<br />
an international perspective from their peers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Class <strong>of</strong> 2023 reminisced about their adventures<br />
in Middle School before taking the leap into Upper<br />
School at 8TH GRADE CELEBRATION.
Dozens <strong>of</strong> freshmen and juniors took a hands-on approach<br />
to learning in 13 experimental and experiential DISCOVERY<br />
TERM courses, exploring everything from history, cuisine, and<br />
culture, to communications, camping, and conquering fears.<br />
In May, 381 runners and walkers participated<br />
in the PTAA’s <strong>2019</strong> CA 5K AND EXPO, which<br />
raised over $13,000 for CA.<br />
From stream to sky, the 6TH AND 7TH GRADE FIELD TRIPS gave students<br />
a chance to explore Umstead State Park and Black Mountain, NC and<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered fun opportunities to learn, bond, and celebrate the end <strong>of</strong> the year.<br />
Students stopped to smell the roses<br />
before leaving it all on the dance<br />
floor at the garden party-themed<br />
<strong>2019</strong> JUNIOR AND SENIOR PROM.
WALKING THE WALK<br />
Each academic year, the Upper School Mission Awards recognize those students who have gone<br />
above and beyond to exemplify CA’s core commitment to discovery, innovation, collaboration,<br />
excellence, and community.<br />
To highlight the diverse ways in which CA students, past and present, have inhabited our core values,<br />
here are a handful <strong>of</strong> highlights from awards presented over the past few years. For the full awards list,<br />
visit bit.ly/missionawards.<br />
OUTSTANDING DISCOVERY AWARDS<br />
Recognizing students who pursue learning as a process motivated by genuine curiosity<br />
In 2018–<strong>2019</strong>, Cameron Fisher (’19) and Colin Zhu (’20), both members <strong>of</strong> CA’s USA Young<br />
Physicists Team (USAYPT), reproduced Michael Faraday’s homopolar generator, then spent hours<br />
experimenting with it to understand how it worked in practice and theory, stepping from basic<br />
electromagnetic theory to advanced relativistic equations. <strong>The</strong>ir work was so original that the<br />
USAYPT judges awarded them the un<strong>of</strong>ficial “judges’ buzz” award.<br />
Julian Sodano (’18) followed his passion for languages in 2017–2018 when he worked with a<br />
faculty mentor to build a series <strong>of</strong> independent study courses to learn Italian, a language not <strong>of</strong>fered at <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
In 2016–2017, Emma Briggs (’17) and Deming Haines (’17) set out to discover the rich ecosystems we engage with on CA’s campus.<br />
Over a trimester, they catalogued 115 unique specimens—from insects to fish to birds to annelids—and built a community-resource<br />
website documenting their research.<br />
OUTSTANDING INNOVATION AWARDS<br />
Recognizing students who have met the requirements <strong>of</strong> an assignment or activity in<br />
a notably imaginative and innovative fashion<br />
In Bill Velto’s 2018–<strong>2019</strong> class on terrorism, Sadie Grace Shelburne (’21) found a research paper<br />
grounded in statistics and analysis alone inadequate to investigate the psychology <strong>of</strong> terrorism.<br />
Grappling with terrorism through an artistic lens, she choreographed a performance to explore—<br />
in a human and relatable fashion—the complex emotions and mental states <strong>of</strong> terrorists.<br />
In Donna Eason’s 2017–2018 Creative World Building elective class, Cate Pitterle (’20), Hannah<br />
Owens (’20), Samantha Dietrich (’20), Madeline Kopf (’20), and Hunter Moore (’20) went above and beyond for their assignment to<br />
design a civilization. <strong>The</strong>y crafted a richly detailed world with an incredibly designed planet, inhabitants, government, economy, and<br />
history—all <strong>of</strong> which was documented in a detailed historical website.<br />
In 2016–2017, the ADV Biotechnology class coordinated a large-scale experiment with the Intro to Biology classes, researching and<br />
writing procedures for isolating the TAS2R38 gene that allows people to taste bitterness. Michael Crow (’17), William Fowler (’19),<br />
Brooke Harris (’17), Jessica McCoppin (’17), and Lindsay Wrege (’17) documented DNA extraction, restriction enzyme digest,<br />
amplification, and visualization using polyacrylamide gel. <strong>The</strong>y also coordinated the randomization and collection <strong>of</strong> samples,<br />
processing, and data analysis.<br />
Fourteen<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
OUTSTANDING COLLABORATION AWARDS<br />
Recognizing a group <strong>of</strong> students who have modeled an exemplary collaborative process<br />
For a month-long, student-directed project in the 2018–<strong>2019</strong> Advanced Environmental Policy<br />
class, Sarah Handelsman (’19), Ian Washabaugh (’19), Christianna Swift (’20), Alex Bandong<br />
(’19), Jessica Judge (’19), and Kevin Chen (’19) worked together to research the impact <strong>of</strong> natural<br />
disasters on hog farms along the Cape Fear River. To educate stakeholders and students alike<br />
about the complex policies, politics, and power dynamics surrounding the issue, they created a<br />
Clue-style board game, naming the game based on their research: Poo Dunnit?<br />
For a 2017–2018 in-class research project and presentation on the 1858 Lincoln-Douglass debates, Arman Kassam (’18), Jonathan<br />
Segal (’18), and Jack Werner (’18) created an original rap battle between Lincoln and Douglass in the style <strong>of</strong> Lin-Manuel Miranda’s<br />
musical Hamilton. Taking the project further, they began meeting with music producers and writers to identify other pointcounterpoint<br />
moments in American and world history to create more pieces, develop the rap further, put it to music, and film it.<br />
Poet Hanna Saklad (’17) and illustrator Emily Lane (’17) collaborated in 2016–2017 on the creation <strong>of</strong> the children’s book Dearest<br />
Susie. A capstone project in which Saklad’s use <strong>of</strong> multiple poetic forms with clever rhymes and vivid images were complemented<br />
brilliantly by Lane’s illustrations.<br />
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY AWARDS<br />
Recognizing students who act with the interests <strong>of</strong> the community in mind,<br />
demonstrating respect, integrity, compassion, courage, and selflessness<br />
Throughout 2018–<strong>2019</strong>, Krishan Guzzo (’19) worked quietly and diligently to make <strong>Cary</strong><br />
<strong>Academy</strong> a more balanced place. A driving force behind the student wellness website, he worked<br />
with Upper School leadership to advocate for a student Zen Den, a place where community<br />
members can de-stress whenever they feel overwhelmed.<br />
Naomi Johnson (’18), Mason Reece (’18), and Leo Tamburro (’18) received individual awards<br />
recognizing their hard work fostering diversity and inclusivity over the 2017–18 school year. <strong>The</strong>y sparked dialogues and guided<br />
their classmates through critically important conversations that—while sometimes difficult or uncomfortable—helped to increase<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong> each other.<br />
OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD<br />
Recognizing outstanding service to the school or community<br />
Throughout 2018–<strong>2019</strong>, CA members <strong>of</strong> the Triangle Debate League—Aditya Surana (’19),<br />
Grace Seidel (’19), Adithi Sundaram (’20), and Shannon Jenkins (’21)—worked in collaboration<br />
with local universities to teach public speaking and advocacy skills to their peers in several<br />
Durham County schools.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2017–2018 work <strong>of</strong> Emma Zayas (’18) and Casey Abernathy (’20) subtly impacted the lives<br />
<strong>of</strong> half <strong>of</strong> the CA campus population. Inspired by initiatives on college campuses, they worked<br />
with the PTAA, Facilities, the Middle School and Upper School to create an operationally and financially sustainable model to<br />
provide free feminine hygiene products in CA’s women's restrooms.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Fifteen
DREAM<br />
TEAM<br />
CA’s college counselors are in<br />
the business <strong>of</strong> dreams—helping<br />
students pursue theirs by guiding<br />
them on a process <strong>of</strong> self-discovery<br />
that, hopefully, ends with the best<br />
college fit.<br />
Ask any <strong>of</strong> our three college counselors—Brandon Carter,<br />
Leya Jones, and Laura Sellers—and they will tell you the same<br />
thing: that they have the best jobs at <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> fact that I get to be a part <strong>of</strong> a student’s journey in<br />
developing into their best selves is a pure blessing,” <strong>of</strong>fers Carter.<br />
“I look forward to work every day—that’s not an exaggeration—<br />
because I get to work with some <strong>of</strong> the brightest, funniest, most<br />
caring, respectful, and appreciative students in the world.”<br />
Strike up a conversation with nearly any <strong>of</strong> our alums and it<br />
will reveal equal admiration from the other side <strong>of</strong> the equation.<br />
Interviews <strong>of</strong>fer warm recollections replete with gratitude for<br />
the pivotal role that the college counselors played in their college<br />
selection journey.<br />
Said one alum in our recent biannual alumni engagement<br />
survey: “I would send my kids to CA for the incredible college<br />
counselors and the amount <strong>of</strong> guidance they provided me<br />
Sixteen<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
during the college process. It truly is<br />
unparalleled in comparison to what other<br />
students at other high schools receive.”<br />
Other alums point to the counselors’<br />
deeper impact—not just on their college<br />
processes, but on their broader lives—<br />
crediting the counselors for believing in<br />
them when they didn’t quite believe in<br />
themselves; for nudging them towards<br />
a better version <strong>of</strong> themselves; and for<br />
helping them to discover who they<br />
wanted to be in the world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> depth <strong>of</strong> the relationships these<br />
anecdotes reflect isn’t all that surprising.<br />
At <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>, the college counseling<br />
process is a true partnership between<br />
Between them, Brandon Carter, Leya<br />
Jones, and Laura Sellers represent<br />
a whopping 29 years (!) worth <strong>of</strong><br />
combined CA college counseling<br />
expertise, having successfully guided<br />
three classes (Carter), eight classes<br />
(Jones), and 18 classes (Sellers)<br />
to bright futures at their right-fit<br />
colleges and universities.<br />
student and counselor. Working closely as<br />
a team, they explore interests and talents,<br />
consider current strengths, and identify<br />
future ambitions and goals—all in hopes<br />
<strong>of</strong> discovering that post-high school holy<br />
grail: the strongest collegiate fit.<br />
“Research shows that the number one<br />
reason why a student chooses to remain<br />
at their respective college is a sense <strong>of</strong><br />
belonging,” explains Carter. “If they feel<br />
they fit well within the academic and social<br />
fabric <strong>of</strong> that institution, the student is more<br />
likely to stay, thrive, and graduate. My goal<br />
is to find that institution that fits them best,<br />
so that they can thrive on the next level and<br />
beyond, whatever that means to them.”<br />
“As counselors, we’re lucky—luckier<br />
than most—in that our philosophy<br />
as an <strong>of</strong>fice is fully supported by CA’s<br />
leadership,” adds Jones. “We have<br />
colleagues at many other places who<br />
are driven by pressure to have a certain<br />
number <strong>of</strong> students admitted to/attending<br />
certain colleges. We don’t have that.”<br />
On the contrary, as with all things CA,<br />
our college counseling process is missiondriven,<br />
grounded in a commitment to<br />
learning that is personal, flexible, and<br />
relevant, and driven by our community<br />
values <strong>of</strong> compassion, respect, and<br />
integrity. As in the classroom, students<br />
are in the driver's seat—encouraged to<br />
“own their learning and process”—with<br />
the counselors <strong>of</strong>fering sage counsel to<br />
steer them in the right direction.<br />
It’s a process that lends itself to<br />
introspection, <strong>of</strong>ten becoming a<br />
transformative learning experience for the<br />
student. “Seeing those ‘a-ha’ moments when<br />
a student sees something about themselves<br />
through the process, when they connect the<br />
threads and understand themselves better,<br />
that’s one <strong>of</strong> the things I love most about my<br />
work,” comments Sellers.<br />
Indicative <strong>of</strong> all those “a-ha moments”<br />
and a point <strong>of</strong> pride for the team, a review<br />
<strong>of</strong> CA’s college matriculations reveals a<br />
lengthy and diverse list <strong>of</strong> educational<br />
institutions. Over the last three years, CA<br />
students have gone to nearly 100 different<br />
colleges and universities in the United<br />
States and abroad, where they thrive,<br />
grow, pursue their dreams, and, hopefully,<br />
get one step closer to becoming the<br />
people they want to be.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Seventeen
COLLEGE<br />
CHRONICLES<br />
CA focuses on preparing students to be lifelong<br />
learners. <strong>The</strong> college counseling experience is<br />
no exception.<br />
“Getting into college is not the finish line; it’s only<br />
the beginning” <strong>of</strong>fers college counselor Brandon<br />
Carter. “A successful college experience is shaped<br />
not only by where you attend, but what you do with<br />
the resources and opportunities that are available<br />
to you once you get there. Those experiences<br />
are what will, in the end, make you a dynamic<br />
employee and sound contributor to society.”<br />
From tiny private liberal arts colleges, to massive<br />
public universities, and all manner <strong>of</strong> schools in<br />
between, CA alums’ experiences <strong>of</strong>fer a powerful<br />
testament to the many ways that students can<br />
make the most <strong>of</strong> a college experience when they<br />
find the right fit and engage.<br />
Eighteen<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
ESRA BALKAS (’17)<br />
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS<br />
AIMING ABROAD<br />
An eighth-grade CA summer trip to<br />
Oxford University proved pivotal for<br />
Esra Balkas, triggering a longstanding<br />
desire to attend college abroad. She<br />
was immediately taken by Oxford’s<br />
beautiful campus and academic gravitas.<br />
A huge Tolkien fan, she loved the idea<br />
<strong>of</strong> attending her idol’s alma mater, <strong>of</strong><br />
studying in the same hallowed halls in<br />
which he used to teach.<br />
Practically, Balkas knew she wanted<br />
to study anthropology or international<br />
relations. <strong>The</strong>se were passions she had<br />
discovered and explored thanks to CA’s<br />
flexible curriculum and the guidance<br />
<strong>of</strong> Upper School social sciences teacher<br />
Maret Jones.<br />
Beyond academics, Balkas sought a<br />
school in an urban center and one with<br />
a large international student population,<br />
a desire borne out <strong>of</strong> her participation in<br />
the Student Global Leadership Initiative.<br />
“SGLI was a huge thing for me. I<br />
learned so much from the other students<br />
in the program that were from all over the<br />
world—not just academically, but more<br />
broadly,” explains Balkas. “It changed how<br />
I looked at a lot <strong>of</strong> things in life. I wanted<br />
to go somewhere that <strong>of</strong>fered a similar<br />
experience at the collegiate level.”<br />
When an early and initiallydisappointing<br />
rejection came from<br />
Oxford, Balkas shifted gears. She applied<br />
to the London School <strong>of</strong> Economics,<br />
another school that checked all her boxes.<br />
“I applied on a whim,” recalls Balkas.<br />
“I was familiar with LSE’s anthropology<br />
program and had already written the<br />
application for the United Kingdom<br />
school system. I submitted my application<br />
two hours before the deadline closed.<br />
I didn’t even tell my parents or college<br />
counselor that I was applying. LSE is very<br />
competitive; I didn’t expect to get in.”<br />
To her surprise, Balkas received a<br />
conditional acceptance weeks later. If she<br />
aced three <strong>of</strong> her AP exams, she was in.<br />
Daunted, but determined, she redoubled<br />
her commitment to her academics. “It was<br />
hard. When all my friends were cruising, I<br />
was buckling down to study.”<br />
Her efforts paid <strong>of</strong>f and she was<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficially admitted into the anthropology<br />
program at LSE in 2017. Since arriving on<br />
campus, she’s been immersed in her field,<br />
enjoying the close-knit community, and<br />
taking a full load <strong>of</strong> anthropology classes.<br />
“At LSE, we’re <strong>of</strong>fered only one elective<br />
credit per year—everything else is within<br />
the anthropology department” explains<br />
Balkas. “Because <strong>of</strong> the intensive focus,<br />
my program is only three years. We go<br />
deep from the outset and get out fast.”<br />
She’s making the most <strong>of</strong> her small<br />
classes, which <strong>of</strong>fer ample opportunities<br />
for hands-on learning, collaboration, and<br />
engagement with senior faculty. It’s an<br />
environment that has pushed her out <strong>of</strong><br />
her comfort zone and helped her grow.<br />
“I had initially thought I wanted a larger<br />
school,” explains Balkas. “I’m kind <strong>of</strong> shy<br />
and thought that it would be nice to blend<br />
into a huge class. That’s not possible at<br />
LSE, where the classes are capped at 12-14<br />
people. It has pushed me to participate<br />
more, to be more confident.”<br />
A field work unit completed during<br />
her second year has been a highlight <strong>of</strong><br />
her time so far. “It was a crash course<br />
in becoming an anthropologist,” she<br />
explains. “You are given freedom to design<br />
a project, research it independently, and<br />
write an essay to share your findings.”<br />
Balkas—a self-described “nerd” who loves<br />
video games—chose to observe a popular<br />
e-sports team in London to explore how<br />
players use language, including gamer<br />
tags and gaming lingo, to construct their<br />
online identities and build community.<br />
For Balkas, her experience abroad<br />
at LSE is all that she hoped it would<br />
be. “London is an incredible city and<br />
LSE is right in its heart, just a twentyminute<br />
walk to Buckingham Palace,”<br />
she enthuses. “Being able to walk to<br />
school every day—stopping on the<br />
London Bridge, the London Eye is there,<br />
Westminster is there, my school is just on<br />
the other side—it is just so cool.”<br />
Apart from her friends and family back<br />
home, she’s embraced her newfound<br />
independence and self-reliance that has<br />
fast-tracked her entry into adult life.<br />
“Having to figure things out for<br />
myself—how to set up a bank account,<br />
how to register for a doctor, how to cook<br />
for myself (LSE doesn’t have dining halls),<br />
how to create my own support network—<br />
it’s been really empowering to do all <strong>of</strong><br />
that on my own at eighteen. It’s tough, but<br />
in the end, I would always choose it. <strong>The</strong><br />
life skills it has given me are incredible<br />
and I’ve made the most amazing friends<br />
and connections along the way.”<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Nineteen
KENDALL BELL (’15)<br />
DUKE UNIVERSITY<br />
COMMUNITY BEYOND CLASSROOMS<br />
By his own admission, Kendall Bell<br />
wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking<br />
for at the outset <strong>of</strong> his college process.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> process never looks the way you<br />
think it will,” Bell muses in hindsight.<br />
“You may think you know what you<br />
want, but you probably don’t. You may<br />
think you know what a college is like, but<br />
you don’t until you visit campus. Without<br />
guidance, without help, you are just<br />
taking shots in the dark.”<br />
For Bell, that light in the dark came<br />
from CA’s college counseling team. “<strong>The</strong><br />
college counselors at CA don’t just learn<br />
what you want in a college, they learn you<br />
as a person,” reflects Bell. “<strong>The</strong>y talk to you<br />
about your classes, about what is going<br />
on in your life, about everything else, and<br />
only then talk to you about college.”<br />
With guidance, Bell homed in on<br />
the important attributes that he was<br />
looking for in a college experience: the<br />
curricular flexibility to pursue his interest<br />
in both chemistry and the humanities;<br />
immersive, hands-on learning<br />
opportunities; and a “quirky” atmosphere<br />
that embraced uniqueness and didn’t take<br />
itself too seriously.<br />
<strong>The</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Chicago was an early<br />
front-runner, a position later solidified<br />
by a visit to campus. It quickly became<br />
the yardstick against which he compared<br />
all other prospects.<br />
It was college counselor Leya Jones<br />
that encouraged Bell to take a closer look<br />
at Duke University, a school he initially<br />
included on his list only because it was<br />
local. However, on closer inspection,<br />
Bell found that he appreciated the<br />
interdisciplinarity built into Duke’s<br />
curriculum and the flexible way in which<br />
it structures its majors.<br />
“Very few majors at Duke are vertical,”<br />
explains Bell. “<strong>The</strong>re are <strong>of</strong>ten different<br />
versions <strong>of</strong> a degree, specializations<br />
within a major that allow you to reach<br />
across disciplines and pursue your<br />
various interests.”<br />
Ultimately, Bell’s receipt <strong>of</strong> Duke’s<br />
Reginaldo Howard Memorial<br />
Scholarship—a merit-scholarship<br />
established in honor <strong>of</strong> Duke’s first African<br />
American president <strong>of</strong> the undergraduate<br />
student body—would make his decision<br />
an easy one. Bell found the community<br />
<strong>of</strong> “Reggie Scholars”—and their shared<br />
commitment to transformative leadership,<br />
intellectual courage, and social justice—<br />
compelling. <strong>The</strong> scholarship would<br />
ultimately lead to some <strong>of</strong> Bell’s most<br />
gratifying moments on campus.<br />
“As a Reggie Scholar, I helped to<br />
organize and lead campus visit for new<br />
Reggie Scholar finalists,” <strong>of</strong>fers Bell. “It<br />
was a meaningful experience. Not only<br />
was I was representing the program,<br />
but I helped to shape our community’s<br />
future by setting expectations and asking<br />
candidates how they would contribute<br />
and advance social justice work.”<br />
Duke’s “work hard/play hard” culture<br />
also proved appealing. It forced Bell,<br />
an introvert, to stretch and reach out<br />
<strong>of</strong> his shell.<br />
“I realized that life isn’t all about work<br />
and school. Duke <strong>of</strong>fered me different<br />
communities <strong>of</strong> people that pushed me to<br />
engage outside the classroom, to do other<br />
things besides study that helped me make<br />
the most <strong>of</strong> the experience.”<br />
On reflection, it is those opportunities<br />
outside <strong>of</strong> the classroom—those that<br />
allowed him to socialize or intellectually<br />
engage with his peers and pr<strong>of</strong>essors—<br />
that rise to Bell’s memory as the most<br />
meaningful.<br />
“A lot <strong>of</strong> the fun stuff, the cool stuff that<br />
happens in college, doesn’t necessarily<br />
happen in class,” says Bell. “It’s having a<br />
four-hour lunch conversation with your<br />
favorite pr<strong>of</strong>essor, or being in your room at<br />
11:30 pm on a Tuesday, when suddenly a<br />
lot <strong>of</strong> people roll up, and before you know<br />
it you’ve had a fascinating conversation<br />
about mass incarceration for hours. Those<br />
are the most powerful moments.”<br />
Of course, there were ample academic<br />
highlights as well, including a long list<br />
<strong>of</strong> favorite classes—some stumbled<br />
on entirely by happenstance—that<br />
broadened his perspective or sparked<br />
new interests. Being nominated by his<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor and winning the Mary McLeod<br />
Bethune Writing Award for a paper on<br />
moral panics was another particularly<br />
memorable moment.<br />
Bell graduated from Duke this past<br />
May with degrees in both chemistry and<br />
global cultural studies and a minor in<br />
African and African American studies.<br />
This fall, his journey will come full<br />
circle, as he joins the CA community<br />
as a Teaching Fellow (he’s also recently<br />
completed a two-year stint as a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> CA’s Board <strong>of</strong> Directors). At CA, he’ll<br />
be working alongside one <strong>of</strong> his favorite<br />
teacher-turned-mentor Gray Rushin.<br />
Bell looks forward to shaping his students’<br />
journeys <strong>of</strong> self-discovery in much the<br />
same way others have shaped his. “<strong>The</strong>re<br />
are many different places in my educational<br />
career where, if it had not been for that<br />
teacher that intervened, I would now be in<br />
a very, very different place,” explains Bell.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> best classes that I’ve taken are not<br />
just about learning the material but about<br />
learning about yourself as well.”<br />
Twenty<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
ZIYANA GREENE (’18)<br />
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE<br />
A NEW PERSPECTIVE<br />
Ziyana Greene knew what she wanted for college: a small<br />
private school with resources on par with a larger university and<br />
a diverse student community. She’d always assumed that she’d<br />
find that experience at a historically black college or university<br />
(HBCU). It was a shock, then, when touring, she found that<br />
“despite being great schools, they just didn’t feel right. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
didn’t click for me.”<br />
Sensing her mounting frustration, college counselor Brandon<br />
Carter suggested she check out a school she’d never heard <strong>of</strong>—<br />
Agnes Scott College—a small liberal arts college for women in<br />
Atlanta, Georgia. While not an HBCU, it did tick a lot <strong>of</strong> her<br />
boxes. She booked a last-minute trip, a final stop on her college<br />
tour before heading home.<br />
On arriving, her first contact was a student tour guide from<br />
the Republic <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Gambia who’d never been to the United<br />
States before attending Agnes Scott. “She’d applied from abroad<br />
and her very first experience in the United States was her movein<br />
day,” marvels Greene.<br />
“She was so courageous. It made me feel brave and made me<br />
recognize my privilege. To that point, I had these ideas <strong>of</strong> what<br />
diversity was, what it would look like, but Agnes Scott gave me a<br />
whole new lens. It has a huge international population and I was<br />
excited to hear all those different stories and perspective. I knew<br />
that this was where I wanted to be.”<br />
Greene—who is pre-law, majoring in political science,<br />
minoring in human rights, and pursuing a specialization in<br />
leadership development—has made the most <strong>of</strong> her first-year<br />
college experience. Highlights have included a study abroad<br />
in Ghana to research women in leadership; working in the<br />
admissions <strong>of</strong>fice where she enjoys interacting with the diverse<br />
community and has developed close mentorship relationships<br />
with senior faculty; induction in the Leadership Society; and<br />
her successful campaign and election as Public Relations<br />
Coordinator for the Pre-Law Society.<br />
Greene credits Agnes Scott and, more broadly, the<br />
women’s college experience as giving her a newfound sense<br />
<strong>of</strong> empowerment and confidence. “It is inspiring to see other<br />
women supporting each other and really going after what they<br />
want, letting no one stop them. At Agnes, we don’t have to<br />
compete. Each woman’s accomplishments are seen not just as<br />
hers, but as opening doors for everyone.” She adds, “Don’t get me<br />
wrong, competition is important in the pr<strong>of</strong>essional world and<br />
we learn how to compete. But, when you know your worth, you<br />
can compete in the world a lot differently and more successfully.”<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Twenty-one
DEMING HAINES (’17)<br />
COLORADO COLLEGE<br />
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH<br />
By all accounts, the last few years<br />
<strong>of</strong> Deming Haines’s CA experience<br />
were challenging ones. In 2014, he had<br />
transferred into CA as a junior—a tricky<br />
transition in and <strong>of</strong> itself—made all<br />
the more difficult by a serious medical<br />
condition. He was grappling with postconcussive<br />
syndrome which left him<br />
with debilitating daily headaches. <strong>The</strong><br />
headaches would prove so disruptive as<br />
to necessitate repeating his junior year.<br />
“It was one <strong>of</strong> the hardest times <strong>of</strong> my<br />
life,” recalls Haines. “Here it was my junior<br />
year, when I’m supposed to be applying to<br />
college, when I want to be able to present<br />
the best version <strong>of</strong> myself. My headaches<br />
knocked all that down.”<br />
When it came time to apply<br />
to colleges, he found himself in<br />
uncharted waters. “I was a first for<br />
CA; no one had ever repeated their<br />
junior year. We weren’t sure how<br />
colleges would respond or what my<br />
realistic options were.” He also still<br />
had severe headaches to contend<br />
with and uncertainty around what<br />
would be feasible for him, physically<br />
and cognitively.<br />
Despite the looming question<br />
marks, guided by college counselor<br />
Leya Jones, Haines threw himself<br />
into the process. His essays, a<br />
cathartic opportunity for self-reflection,<br />
focused on his challenges and the<br />
personal growth he’d achieved as a result.<br />
“My headaches are a hardship, but,<br />
in many ways, I think it strengthened<br />
my applications,” he explains. “Colleges<br />
could see my perseverance. <strong>The</strong>y could<br />
see everything that I had gone through<br />
and that, despite it all, I was still doing<br />
well academically, and I was still excited<br />
to go to college.”<br />
At CA, Haines had loved physics,<br />
but an independent study mentored<br />
by media arts teacher Steven<br />
O’Neill strengthened his passion for<br />
photography. He knew he wanted a<br />
school where he could explore both,<br />
preferably in small classes with ample<br />
opportunities for faculty connection, a<br />
dimension <strong>of</strong> his CA experience he had<br />
always appreciated.<br />
It was ultimately Colorado College—a<br />
small liberal arts college in Colorado<br />
Springs that <strong>of</strong>fers a nontraditional block<br />
curriculum—that captured his interest.<br />
Jones had initially hoped the alternative<br />
approach might help to ease Haines’s<br />
transition to college.<br />
Colorado College’s block curriculum<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers an intensive, experiential deep<br />
dive into one subject at a time. Students<br />
complete the equivalent number <strong>of</strong> credit<br />
hours as a typical semester-long course<br />
in just 3.5 short weeks thanks to daily<br />
classes ranging from three to six hours<br />
long. When one block ends, students<br />
enjoy a brief four-day break before<br />
jumping into the next.<br />
“It’s really rigorous, perhaps even more<br />
so than traditional classes,” says Haines.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re is a constant grind, but the<br />
structure lends itself to rewarding and<br />
immersive learning opportunities, like<br />
field trips and collaborative projects, that<br />
wouldn’t otherwise be possible.”<br />
Challenging? Yes, but Haines enjoys it.<br />
He’s now settled in as a studio arts major<br />
and is taking full advantage <strong>of</strong> the wideranging<br />
interdisciplinary <strong>of</strong>ferings that will<br />
round out his requirements for graduation.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> liberal arts requirements are<br />
designed to push you out <strong>of</strong> your comfort<br />
zone, to encourage exploration and<br />
discovery. I love that aspect <strong>of</strong> CC,”<br />
explains Haines. “You are exposed to<br />
subjects you might never have otherwise<br />
considered. For my social inequality credit,<br />
I took a block on nonviolence; it was the<br />
most eye-opening class I’ve ever taken.”<br />
Another highlight has been<br />
collaborating with a team to invent<br />
and pitch an event-finding app—a<br />
concept he originated in an earlier<br />
design-thinking block—at CC’s Big<br />
Idea Competition, an entrepreneurial<br />
pitch competition that awards $50,000<br />
to the top three teams (Haines’s team<br />
was among the top five).<br />
Next fall, when he returns to<br />
campus, he will launch his first<br />
on-campus photography exhibition<br />
thanks to being awarded a $1,000<br />
Venture Grant. “I’ve been so blown<br />
away by all the resources Colorado<br />
College has, all the many ways that it<br />
can help me do what I love.”<br />
As for what comes next, Haines is<br />
certain that it will involve photography—<br />
a series <strong>of</strong> Haines’s nature photographs<br />
completed as part <strong>of</strong> his senior CA<br />
capstone project are on exhibit in the<br />
Center and Math and Science—but<br />
beyond that he’s not sure. “Right now, I am<br />
interested in aligning product photography<br />
with fine art photography, but, who knows,<br />
as I continue to learn I might go in a whole<br />
new direction.” He adds confidently, “I’m<br />
open to possibilities.”<br />
Twenty-two<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
BEN HATFIELD (‘14)<br />
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY<br />
LIFELONG DREAMER<br />
When Ben Hatfield was a toddler,<br />
his parents took him to an air show at<br />
Andrews Air Force base. He immediately<br />
loved seeing all the planes flying in the<br />
air and his love <strong>of</strong> all things aeronautic<br />
was locked in.<br />
When it came time to consider college,<br />
the path to his dream <strong>of</strong> being a pilot and<br />
soaring the skies was stronger than ever.<br />
It was no surprise that he set his aim on<br />
a United States service academy, with<br />
the United States Air Force <strong>Academy</strong><br />
(USAFA) being top choice.<br />
Acceptance into a U.S. service academy<br />
is decidedly different from the typical<br />
collegiate process. In addition to an<br />
application to the academy, candidates<br />
must receive a nomination from their<br />
U.S. Senator or Congressman. It’s a<br />
complex process, involving many moving<br />
parts and copious amounts <strong>of</strong> essaywriting.<br />
Hatfield credits his college<br />
counselor, Leya Jones, with helping him<br />
navigate the process and keeping him<br />
sane and organized.<br />
Hatfield began his Air Force journey<br />
in the summer <strong>of</strong> 2014. By his own<br />
account, his first year was arduous<br />
mentally, physically, and emotionally.<br />
USAFA places a heavy value on<br />
well-roundedness, and his first-year<br />
curriculum was a heavy lift <strong>of</strong> liberal arts<br />
coursework in tandem with Air Forcespecific<br />
classes like aeronautical and<br />
astronautical engineering and leadership.<br />
Despite the challenges, Hatfield found<br />
himself academically well-prepared,<br />
his experience harkening back to the<br />
classrooms <strong>of</strong> CA. “I found myself emailing<br />
my CA teachers—even my seventh-grade<br />
teachers—to tell them how my experience<br />
in their class was still playing such a big<br />
role in my life,” laughs Hatfield.<br />
And, bolstered by confidence from his<br />
CA experiences, he was able to find what<br />
some might consider a daunting campus<br />
culture and ethos, inspiring.<br />
Opportunities within USAFA—what<br />
courses you are eligible to take, what<br />
clubs you can participate in, what<br />
planes you get to fly, and, ultimately,<br />
your placement post-<strong>Academy</strong>—are<br />
all driven by class rank, which is<br />
distributed publicly every semester.<br />
“While the environment is extremely<br />
competitive, everyone also knows that<br />
there is no way to make it through alone,”<br />
explains Hatfield. “You have to have<br />
people to lean on, to help you. <strong>The</strong> result<br />
is a unique environment where everyone<br />
is driven, constantly pushing themselves<br />
to be better, but also helping each other<br />
and pushing each other to be better.”<br />
It was in his sophomore year—when<br />
cadets declare their majors (he chose<br />
Operations Research/Statistics), join<br />
clubs, and have more control over their<br />
coursework—that Hatfield truly began to<br />
hit his stride. He joined the United States<br />
Air Force Skydiving Team, “<strong>The</strong> Wings <strong>of</strong><br />
Blue.” It was an intensive, but gratifying<br />
experience (requiring up to three-hours<br />
<strong>of</strong> practice time each day) that would<br />
ultimately take him all over the country<br />
and the world to perform in air shows to<br />
demonstrate the Air Force’s capabilities.<br />
On campus, it meant that, at nineteenyears-old,<br />
he was also responsible for<br />
teaching first-year cadets how to do their<br />
very first solo jumps out <strong>of</strong> planes. He<br />
credits that experience <strong>of</strong> “helping other<br />
cadets get over their fear” as one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
highlights <strong>of</strong> his time at USAFA.<br />
Another highlight? A senior capstone<br />
project in which he investigated the<br />
resiliency <strong>of</strong> U.S. satellite networks<br />
and how the United States might be<br />
able to respond to various threats. He<br />
presented his research at a conference to<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional Air Force statisticians, who<br />
were able to leverage his research and<br />
take it to the next level in the field.<br />
Hatfield graduated USAFA in May<br />
2018 and is now living his dream,<br />
training alongside <strong>of</strong>ficers from all over<br />
the world in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet<br />
Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air<br />
Force Base in Texas.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Twenty-three
LEX-JORDAN IBEGBU (‘08)<br />
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL &<br />
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LAW SCHOOL<br />
VISION, AMBITION, AND WILL<br />
Lex-Jordan Ibegbu transferred into CA<br />
from public school his freshman year.<br />
“College choice is all about what you<br />
are exposed to,” Ibegbu explains. “Prior<br />
to CA, I didn’t really know what college<br />
I wanted to go to. I had always assumed<br />
I’d go to Shaw University. My parents<br />
attended Shaw University. I grew up<br />
across the street.”<br />
Over the course <strong>of</strong> his four years at<br />
CA, however, his horizons broadened,<br />
with the University <strong>of</strong> North Carolina at<br />
Chapel Hill rising to near-mythical status<br />
in his mind.<br />
“I had never been to Chapel Hill.<br />
I didn’t know anyone that attended<br />
Carolina” says Ibegbu. “But, CA was<br />
sending a lot <strong>of</strong> students to Carolina.<br />
I researched and discovered the kind<br />
<strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essionals that Carolina was<br />
producing. I wanted to be an attorney<br />
and I knew that Carolina had a strong<br />
political science department. I also knew<br />
that the Carolina name would open doors<br />
for me later in my career. Going there<br />
became one <strong>of</strong> my prayers.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> transition to CA had been an<br />
academic adjustment, but one that he was<br />
able to manage after a year. Still, some<br />
thought Carolina might be a reach for<br />
Ibegbu. He credits his mother and college<br />
counselor Laura Sellers for believing in<br />
him enough to encourage him to pursue<br />
his dream and apply.<br />
“Ms. Sellers was such a blessing. She<br />
told me exactly what I needed to do to<br />
make it happen. I took the SAT twice to<br />
attain a sufficient score” Ibegbu recalls. “I<br />
only needed to see the blueprint. Once I<br />
learned the process I could then apply it. I<br />
believed in myself. I believed in my spirit<br />
that I would go to Carolina.”<br />
With clear goals, guideposts, and a<br />
healthy boost <strong>of</strong> confidence, Ibegbu threw<br />
himself into the application process, while<br />
also pursuing scholarship options. His<br />
clear-eyed tenacity was rewarded, and<br />
he was admitted to Carolina on a full<br />
scholarship as a Covenant Scholar.<br />
As an African American student<br />
in a then-predominantly white CA<br />
community, the promise <strong>of</strong> Carolina’s<br />
diverse student body had also been a<br />
tremendous lure to Ibegbu. On campus,<br />
he took full advantage, immersing himself<br />
into academic, social, and extracurricular<br />
experiences through which he weaved<br />
a broad social network that would pay<br />
dividends throughout his college career<br />
and beyond.<br />
His eyes set on law school, Ibegbu<br />
pursued a degree in political science. He<br />
also continued the student government<br />
work he’d enjoyed at CA and was elected<br />
as a student body congressman. It was an<br />
experience that afforded the opportunity<br />
to collaborate with an ever-widening<br />
circle <strong>of</strong> students, while also providing<br />
practical experience that he could<br />
leverage for law school.<br />
He pursued his other passions—music<br />
and drama—via dual minors. A rapper,<br />
Ibegbu used his music as a networking<br />
tool, performing for various student<br />
groups across campus and always making<br />
connections along the way.<br />
“I credit Carolina with teaching<br />
me how to maneuver in different<br />
environments,” <strong>of</strong>fers Ibegbu. “Every<br />
week I tried to connect with people from<br />
different insular communities throughout<br />
the campus. That might have been going<br />
to plays with my drama friends, or<br />
performing at events hosted by Lambda<br />
Upsilon Lambda Fraternity (a Latino<br />
fraternity), or working on legislation<br />
with members <strong>of</strong> the Muslim Student<br />
Association, or seeking out mentor<br />
opportunities within Carolina’s vast<br />
alumni network. I was always consciously<br />
trying to broaden my horizons, to build<br />
that social capital.”<br />
Ibegbu graduated from Carolina in<br />
2012 and was admitted to the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Miami School <strong>of</strong> Law, from which he<br />
graduated in 2015. He is now a practicing<br />
attorney in both Florida and North<br />
Carolina with the law <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Kurtz &<br />
Blum, PLLC. He currently has a focus<br />
in criminal law, with an eye for music/<br />
entertainment issues, and engages in<br />
political consultant work for various<br />
candidates and politicians.<br />
“As for the future, I am always seeking<br />
growth and knowledge. I want to become<br />
an immense legal mind, perhaps start<br />
my own practice that spans the eastern<br />
seaboard. I hope to exercise some<br />
influence over this country’s politics and<br />
economic policies.”<br />
As always, Ibegbu is making a plan<br />
and charting a course for success: “I am<br />
setting the foundation for my dreams and<br />
working towards creating a lasting legacy.”<br />
Twenty-four<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
CARRIE MILLER (‘04)<br />
BOWDOIN COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA,<br />
PERELMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE<br />
THE A-HA MOMENT<br />
Carrie Miller credits the support <strong>of</strong><br />
the CA community and the leadership<br />
skills she developed during her time as<br />
a student with giving her the confidence<br />
she needed to strike out beyond her<br />
comfort zone to find the perfect college.<br />
“I knew I wanted to try something<br />
new, to explore a different part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
country, to try out an entirely different<br />
environment than what I was used to,”<br />
explains Miller.<br />
She initially thought that she’d find<br />
that experience in a mid-size university<br />
in New England. It was only on the<br />
last-minute advice <strong>of</strong> favorite English<br />
teacher Sunny McDaniels (herself a<br />
Bowdoin alum) that she added Bowdoin<br />
College—a small liberal arts school on<br />
the coast <strong>of</strong> Maine—to her list.<br />
“As soon as I walked onto the Bowdoin<br />
campus, I knew that this was the place. I<br />
felt so comfortable, so at home; everyone<br />
was so friendly. I loved the classes, the<br />
sunny days, the coastal campus, the<br />
engaged faculty, the intensely loyal<br />
alumni network” reflects Miller. “I’d<br />
always heard people talk about this<br />
intangible feeling you get when you find<br />
the school that’s the right fit. I never<br />
bought into that idea, never thought it<br />
would happen to me, until it did.”<br />
On joining the student body, Miller<br />
immersed herself in campus life—<br />
moving into one <strong>of</strong> the social houses,<br />
joining the women’s rugby team, even<br />
working in the admissions <strong>of</strong>fice, first as<br />
a tour guide, and, later, as an applicant<br />
interviewer (a role she continues to enjoy<br />
as an alum).<br />
Unsure <strong>of</strong> a major, she used her first<br />
semester to explore her myriad interests<br />
across gender studies, sociology, French,<br />
and science. “I wanted to take that first<br />
semester to just enjoy being at Bowdoin,<br />
to let myself be excited and inspired by<br />
all the possibilities,” explains Miller.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next semesters saw Miller focus<br />
in on a career in women’s health, as she<br />
pursued pre-med prerequisites alongside<br />
classes for an interdisciplinary women<br />
studies major.<br />
A culturally immersive<br />
semester-long study abroad<br />
in Botswana—during<br />
which Miller lived with<br />
a host family, studied the<br />
local language, completed<br />
coursework in HIV and<br />
public health, all while<br />
shadowing two days a week<br />
in the local healthcare<br />
clinic—proved to be<br />
transformative, triggering<br />
an interest in obstetrics and<br />
gynecology.<br />
After graduating<br />
Bowdoin in 2008, Miller<br />
moved to Boston, taking<br />
a position within a child<br />
psychiatry research <strong>of</strong>fice<br />
from which she was able<br />
to explore a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
roles within healthcare.<br />
Realizing that she valued<br />
the patient-doctor<br />
relationship above all else,<br />
she enrolled in Harvard’s<br />
post-baccalaureate program<br />
to complete a handful <strong>of</strong><br />
remaining classes required for medical<br />
school admission and took the MCAT—<br />
all while working full-time.<br />
Miller was admitted to the Perelman<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Medicine at the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Pennsylvania in 2011 and started an<br />
OBGYN residency at Penn in 2015. She<br />
graduated in June <strong>2019</strong> and will soon be<br />
moving to Minnesota with her husband<br />
(a fellow doctor and Bowdoin alum) and<br />
young daughter, where she has accepted<br />
a position within a local hospital system.<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Twenty-five
ANASTASIA MORGUS (‘14)<br />
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA<br />
CONFIDENT VISION<br />
You might call Anastasia Morgus the<br />
poster child for “owning your college<br />
process.”<br />
By her junior year, she had identified<br />
exactly what she wanted for college: a<br />
strong international business school<br />
where she could study Asian global<br />
markets and Chinese—interests piqued<br />
during years <strong>of</strong> study at CA and a<br />
particularly influential World Language<br />
Exchange trip.<br />
As for the type <strong>of</strong> school and campus<br />
culture, Morgus—who had straight A’s<br />
and tested well—never felt compelled<br />
to apply for “reach schools” or the Ivy<br />
League. “I knew from the outset that<br />
wasn’t what I wanted; I was totally happy<br />
with a state school,” she explains. “I<br />
wanted something bigger, somewhere<br />
that had team spirit, more sports—an<br />
atmosphere more akin to the universities<br />
that I’d been exposed to growing up in<br />
the Triangle.”<br />
In a process where too <strong>of</strong>ten peer<br />
pressure and other peoples’ expectations<br />
can play a role, Morgus enjoyed a<br />
comparatively low-stress experience by<br />
listening to her inner voice. She credits<br />
counselor Leya Jones for supporting her<br />
choice to attend a state school.<br />
“She really propelled me into being<br />
comfortable with what I was actually<br />
looking for,” explains Morgus. “She<br />
suggested the University <strong>of</strong> South<br />
Carolina. Even though it is the number<br />
one international undergraduate business<br />
school in the country, it wasn’t on<br />
my radar.”<br />
On her campus tour, she immediately<br />
fell under USC’s spell. “<strong>The</strong> gorgeous<br />
campus, the athletic ethos, the classes,<br />
it was exactly what I envisioned—the<br />
quintessential collegiate experience,”<br />
says Morgus. “I had been nervous going<br />
from a graduating class <strong>of</strong> 100+ people<br />
to a freshman class <strong>of</strong> 5,000+, but once I<br />
stepped on to campus, all that fell away.”<br />
On admission, Morgus was invited<br />
to participate in the Capstone Scholars<br />
Program, a two-year enrichment<br />
program focused on fostering<br />
community impact and leadership. It<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered an instant built-in community.<br />
“We all lived together in the same dorm,<br />
would do service projects together, and<br />
hold social events; it made USC seem<br />
much smaller.”<br />
She enjoyed her academics. USC’s<br />
international business curriculum<br />
requires a double major—one in<br />
international business and another<br />
functional major (Morgus chose<br />
operations and supply chain)—and a<br />
language minor (Chinese). She spent<br />
spring semester her junior year abroad,<br />
studying in Shanghai.<br />
At the end <strong>of</strong> her senior year, she had<br />
the opportunity to work closely with<br />
one <strong>of</strong> her pr<strong>of</strong>essors on a semester-long<br />
real-world consulting project. It would<br />
prove to be a door-opening experience,<br />
securing her a recommendation for<br />
a post-graduation appointment in<br />
the rotational training program <strong>of</strong><br />
multinational technology leader ABB.<br />
“It’s like the European version <strong>of</strong><br />
GE,” she explains. “I never would have<br />
gotten into the program without the<br />
connections that I made at USC.”<br />
At ABB, Morgus is rotating through<br />
their <strong>of</strong>fices, learning the real-world ins<br />
and outs <strong>of</strong> each facet <strong>of</strong> supply chain<br />
management. “It’s one thing to study it<br />
in the classroom, and another to actively<br />
practice it in the field,” she says.<br />
Morgus will complete ABB’s<br />
management training program this<br />
September and will transition to a<br />
permanent position in the company’s<br />
supply chain department. She’ll have the<br />
opportunity to put all her language skills<br />
to good use during a country-swap with<br />
the Chinese <strong>of</strong>fice.<br />
“That’s my goal,” Morgus says. “For now,<br />
I’m trying to learn, to say yes to as many<br />
things as I can to build up my experience.”<br />
Twenty-six<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
RITU PRASAD (’10)<br />
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO<br />
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY,<br />
MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM<br />
FOLLOWING HER HEART<br />
<strong>The</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> college was always<br />
at the forefront <strong>of</strong> Ritu Prasad’s CA<br />
experience.<br />
“My parents immigrated to the<br />
United States from India when I was<br />
child,” Prasad explains. “It had always<br />
been important to them that I attend<br />
an American college—it was one <strong>of</strong><br />
the big reasons they decided to leave.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y wanted me to have the best<br />
opportunities, and the Indian education<br />
system was a lot less choice-based, a lot<br />
less flexible.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>mselves unfamiliar with the<br />
American college system and application<br />
process, Prasad and her family appreciated<br />
the strong support system <strong>of</strong>fered by<br />
Laura Sellers, Prasad’s college counselor.<br />
“As newcomers, it was easy to freak<br />
out about all the details, the wealth <strong>of</strong><br />
information to sort through—the SATs,<br />
the applications, the deadlines, the<br />
overwhelming choices. Ms. Sellers was<br />
always the voice <strong>of</strong> calm and reason, helping<br />
to set out the facts and requirements and<br />
providing important guidance.”<br />
Working with the college counselors,<br />
Prasad made a list <strong>of</strong> what attributes she<br />
most desired for prospective colleges.<br />
“Throughout my time at CA, I had the<br />
opportunity to build great relationships<br />
with my teachers. I’m still friends with<br />
some <strong>of</strong> them today; Vic Quesada,<br />
Donna Eason, and Dr. Robert Coven<br />
changed my life!” gushes Prasad. “For<br />
college, I wanted small classes that<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered similar opportunities to form<br />
those deep relationships and to grow and<br />
develop alongside my teachers.”<br />
A lover <strong>of</strong> both science and English,<br />
she also wanted a college that prided<br />
itself on the well-roundedness <strong>of</strong> its<br />
students—one that <strong>of</strong>fered a strong<br />
interdisciplinary curriculum and the<br />
flexibility to explore multiple disciplines<br />
simultaneously. An exceptional study<br />
abroad program rounded out her list.<br />
She created her initial college prospect<br />
list—adding in the University <strong>of</strong> Chicago<br />
on the advice <strong>of</strong> alum Brent Rappaport<br />
(’10)—and culled it by taking full<br />
advantage <strong>of</strong> CA-hosted visits from a<br />
variety <strong>of</strong> college admissions <strong>of</strong>ficers.<br />
“Those visits with the admissions<br />
counselors from all those different<br />
schools that CA <strong>of</strong>fered was really<br />
useful and played a role in shaping my<br />
decisions” notes Prasad.<br />
One such meeting with a Columbia<br />
University admissions counselor made<br />
it clear that Columbia was not a good<br />
fit, while others affirmed her interest<br />
in Northwestern and the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Chicago. A later campus tour <strong>of</strong> the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Chicago would prove that<br />
it was the school for her. Excited, she<br />
applied early decision and was accepted.<br />
Both <strong>of</strong> Prasad’s parents are physicians<br />
and following in their footsteps had been<br />
an early goal that she set for herself.<br />
During her first couple <strong>of</strong> years, she<br />
pursued her tandem interests, taking<br />
pre-med classes while also majoring<br />
in English. A study abroad to Paris to<br />
explore astrophysics would be a highlight<br />
<strong>of</strong> her undergraduate years.<br />
In her senior year—just one credit<br />
away from securing a double major in<br />
biology, while signing up to take the<br />
MCAT—it hit her: she didn’t want to be<br />
a doctor. “I had been warring with my<br />
two passions, science and writing, for my<br />
entire undergraduate career. I suddenly<br />
realized that my true love was writing.”<br />
Just like that, she changed gears,<br />
graduating with a degree in English and a<br />
minor in biology. “It was jarring,” Prasad<br />
admits. “I’d had a ten-year plan for years,<br />
but, suddenly, I didn’t know what would<br />
come next.”<br />
Soon after graduation, after a lessthan-gratifying<br />
internship and foray into<br />
communications work, Prasad began<br />
to investigate graduate schools. She was<br />
accepted to Northwestern’s Medill School <strong>of</strong><br />
Journalism after a last-minute application<br />
and awarded an academic scholarship.<br />
She completed her master’s degree<br />
in journalism in 2016. A journalism<br />
residency with the BBC in London<br />
would prove life-changing, leading to her<br />
current full-time position with the BBC’s<br />
North American bureau in Washington,<br />
DC. <strong>The</strong>re, she’s living her dream as a<br />
multimedia journalist covering features<br />
and general news: “It’s work that I believe<br />
in, work that means something.”<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Twenty-seven
ILAN SZULIK (’14)<br />
WASHINGTON<br />
UNIVERSITY IN<br />
ST. LOUIS<br />
A REWARDING LAST-MINUTE REACH<br />
Like many students, Ilan Szulik’s first pass<br />
at a college list read like it came straight out<br />
<strong>of</strong> a U.S. News and World Report ranking.<br />
“Initially, I focused on those schools<br />
you hear about growing up, the ones that<br />
have big name recognition,” explains<br />
Szulik. Made without a clear vision <strong>of</strong><br />
what he was looking for beyond a “good<br />
school,” his list proved overwhelming.<br />
College counselor Laura Sellers suggested<br />
a different approach. She encouraged Szulik<br />
to identify the specific attributes he was<br />
looking for in a college. As she helped him<br />
focus in on the experience he hoped to<br />
have, a more concrete list emerged.<br />
Szulik wanted a mid-size school, one<br />
that was large enough that everybody<br />
didn’t know everybody else but small<br />
enough he could establish an identity<br />
and make an impact on campus. Strong<br />
academics—particularly a strong<br />
undergraduate business program—<br />
was paramount (also important was a<br />
culture that was not rife with cutthroat<br />
competition). Lastly, he sought<br />
somewhere that emphasized student life.<br />
Sellers compiled a lengthy list <strong>of</strong><br />
schools that matched the new pr<strong>of</strong>ile.<br />
However, it was her suggestion <strong>of</strong><br />
Washington University in St. Louis, a<br />
school that Szulik had never heard <strong>of</strong>,<br />
that would prove to be “the one.”<br />
Initially, Szulik was skeptical. WashU was<br />
very competitive. With nearly Ivy Leaguelevel<br />
test score requirements, admission<br />
felt like a reach. But thanks to the<br />
encouragement <strong>of</strong> Sellers, her discovery <strong>of</strong><br />
a last-minute due-the-next-day scholarship<br />
opportunity at WashU’s Olin Business<br />
School, and a healthy dose <strong>of</strong> “what do I<br />
have to lose,” he decided to apply.<br />
“I went straight from Ms. Sellers’s <strong>of</strong>fice<br />
to the library, filled out the scholarship<br />
application, completed my essays in<br />
a matter <strong>of</strong> hours, and hit submit,” he<br />
recalls. “I didn’t let anyone edit my<br />
essays. I didn’t even show them to my<br />
parents. I wanted them to be my voice. I<br />
wanted to get in as me.”<br />
Months later, the Dean <strong>of</strong> Olin<br />
Business School called with exciting<br />
news. Not only did Szulik get in, he was<br />
a finalist for the Dean’s Scholarship for<br />
Business and was invited to campus for<br />
an interview. It was a shock; convinced<br />
that his application was a longshot, Szulik<br />
had never even planned a visit.<br />
On arrival to WashU, Szulik discovered<br />
a beautiful campus with appealing access<br />
to St. Louis, but what truly impressed<br />
him was the sense <strong>of</strong> community. “<strong>The</strong><br />
academics were strong, but there was no<br />
sense <strong>of</strong> competition. Kids were staying<br />
up late at night in the dorms to help each<br />
other succeed,” he recalls. “Lots <strong>of</strong> schools<br />
try to cultivate that kind <strong>of</strong> atmosphere,<br />
but WashU really pulls it <strong>of</strong>f.”<br />
Offered the scholarship, his decision<br />
was “a no-brainer.”<br />
Szulik hit the ground running.<br />
Accepted into the business major, he took<br />
business courses from his first day on<br />
campus. “Most business school programs<br />
make you wait two years before you can<br />
take classes,” explains Szulik. “I got to<br />
spread my business coursework over<br />
four years. That let me experiment and<br />
explore, develop relationships, and figure<br />
out what parts <strong>of</strong> business I enjoyed.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> summer <strong>of</strong> his freshman year<br />
he participated in a study-abroad in<br />
Israel that <strong>of</strong>fered a crash-course in<br />
entrepreneurialism. It sparked a passion<br />
that he pursued throughout his WashU<br />
career, even prompting him to co-found<br />
WashU’s Entrepreneurship Club in<br />
partnership with a St. Louis-based tech<br />
accelerator his sophomore year.<br />
His senior year, he formed a team with<br />
a biomedical engineering student and a<br />
world-class cancer surgeon to develop a new<br />
surgical device (Szulik, who had no medical<br />
experience, created the business plan). <strong>The</strong><br />
team ultimately presented their concept at<br />
a large pitch competition at Rice University,<br />
where they competed for real funding.<br />
Szulik also threw himself into WashU<br />
student life. “All <strong>of</strong> the collective energy<br />
that goes into watching Division 1 sports<br />
at other schools, goes toward student<br />
activities at WashU,” explains Szulik. “<strong>The</strong>re<br />
is a healthy pressure to participate in clubs<br />
and a wide selection to choose from. Once<br />
you find your place, it can be really great.”<br />
For Szulik, participation in various<br />
student activities—the club golf team, a<br />
business fraternity, and a couple <strong>of</strong> other<br />
clubs—was enriching. However, it was<br />
with one <strong>of</strong> WashU’s a cappella groups<br />
that he truly found his place.<br />
“At WashU, a cappella is a big deal,”<br />
explains Szulik. “Our group—<strong>The</strong><br />
Stereotypes—became my family. We<br />
lived together for most <strong>of</strong> college,<br />
traveled to sing in cool places—Carnegie<br />
Hall, a Carolina Hurricanes game, and<br />
other NHL games– and participated in<br />
international competitions. It was a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
work, but so rewarding.”<br />
After graduating in 2018, Szulik<br />
began working in Morgan Stanley’s<br />
investment management division in the<br />
strategic initiatives group. <strong>The</strong>re, he helps<br />
to manage just under $500 billion in<br />
individual and institutional investments<br />
and spends his days working on innovative<br />
data-driven projects geared towards<br />
changing the technological landscape <strong>of</strong><br />
the financial services industry.<br />
While his career tasks him to look to<br />
the horizon, reflecting on his experience<br />
<strong>of</strong> discovering and applying to WashU<br />
“at the last minute,” Szulik takes life dayby-day:<br />
“I don’t want to miss the next<br />
great opportunity.”<br />
Twenty-eight<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
ANDY WALSH (’09)<br />
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY & UNIVERSITY OF<br />
NORTH CAROLINA LAW SCHOOL<br />
SOMETHING TO PROVE<br />
By his junior year at CA, Andy Walsh<br />
was grappling with his future.<br />
An accomplished hockey player, he<br />
toyed with the idea <strong>of</strong> taking a gap year<br />
to play competitively. He credits college<br />
counselor Laura Sellers, his fellow<br />
students, and a newfound passion for<br />
political science and law—courtesy <strong>of</strong><br />
RJ Pellicciotta’s advanced United States<br />
government class—with helping to set<br />
him on the college track.<br />
“CA helped push me to focus on my<br />
educational outcomes and to think<br />
broader,” explains Walsh. “My friends were<br />
all getting into college and I got to a place<br />
where I wanted that for myself, I wanted to<br />
be part <strong>of</strong> a great college experience.”<br />
And what did his ideal experience look<br />
like? He knew that he wanted to look at<br />
local cost-effective options—those that<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered a big school experience, flexible<br />
curricula, a strong athletics culture, and<br />
competitive sports teams. <strong>The</strong> University<br />
<strong>of</strong> North Carolina at Chapel Hill and<br />
North Carolina State University were<br />
obvious choices.<br />
Walsh got into State early action, but<br />
Carolina rejected him. “Not even the<br />
waitlist,” he laughs. “Initially, it was a little<br />
hard to take, but, truthfully, that rejection<br />
was one <strong>of</strong> the best things that has ever<br />
happened to me. It made me even more<br />
appreciative <strong>of</strong> the<br />
opportunity at State,<br />
and it also gave me a<br />
little bit <strong>of</strong> a chip on<br />
my shoulder. I wanted<br />
to prove that Carolina<br />
missed out by not<br />
admitting me.”<br />
Right then and<br />
there, Walsh made<br />
three goals that<br />
would define his<br />
undergraduate college experience: to<br />
participate in clubs, get academic honors,<br />
and get into law school.<br />
On campus, Walsh declared a political<br />
science major and immediately joined<br />
the club hockey team, a familiar<br />
experience that had the added benefit<br />
<strong>of</strong> providing an instant friend group.<br />
Wanting to get involved in something<br />
that would help with law school<br />
admission, he opted for student<br />
government, winning his first senate<br />
seat his freshman year. It would be the<br />
beginning <strong>of</strong> a student government<br />
career that would span all four years<br />
and include three senate seats, an<br />
appointment to the executive branch,<br />
and, ultimately, election as student body<br />
president his senior year.<br />
Still, the transition from CA’s small<br />
community to the enormous 35,000+<br />
student population was daunting in those<br />
early semesters; it didn’t always feel like<br />
the right choice. After considering a<br />
transfer, he decided instead to “doubledown”<br />
on what it was that he liked<br />
most about State: the traditions <strong>of</strong><br />
the university.<br />
“My parents never went to a four-year<br />
college, so growing up I didn’t have that<br />
immediate allegiance to a school that a lot<br />
<strong>of</strong> other kids did,” he explains. “I always<br />
thought that connection, that sense <strong>of</strong><br />
pride was cool. I wanted to help cultivate<br />
those feelings for students that, like me,<br />
didn’t have them walking in the door.”<br />
Over the next few years, Walsh oversaw<br />
a variety <strong>of</strong> traditions-driven projects,<br />
including getting a living mascot for the<br />
athletics department; overseeing the<br />
“Coaches’ Corner” project that unveiled<br />
statues <strong>of</strong> retired basketball coaches,<br />
including Jim Valvano and Kay Yow; and<br />
creating “the brick,” a living scrapbook/<br />
guide to State’s traditions that is given to<br />
every incoming freshman as an invitation<br />
to engage.<br />
On graduating Phi Beta Kappa with<br />
honors in 2013, Walsh focused on<br />
acquiring work experience in preparation<br />
for law school. He interned first at SAS, in<br />
the Government Relations Department,<br />
before transferring into a full-time<br />
position at Smith Anderson, one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
largest firms in North Carolina. His<br />
mentors at Smith Anderson encouraged<br />
his application to law school and in 2016<br />
he was admitted to the University <strong>of</strong><br />
North Carolina’s School <strong>of</strong> Law.<br />
Walsh graduated UNC’s School <strong>of</strong> Law<br />
in <strong>2019</strong> and is currently studying for the<br />
bar. He looks forward to stepping into<br />
his new role in the Charlotte, NC <strong>of</strong>fice<br />
<strong>of</strong> the international law firm Cadwalader<br />
where he’ll be working on fund finance<br />
and corporate law.<br />
His reflection on ultimately being both<br />
a member <strong>of</strong> the Wolfpack and a Tar Heel?<br />
“I think State and Carolina do a really<br />
good job <strong>of</strong> identifying the right people<br />
for their campuses. I’m so grateful for<br />
that,” Walsh reflects. “Having been there<br />
for grad school, I can say with certainty<br />
it would not have been a good fit for me<br />
as an undergrad. At State, I had just what<br />
I needed and every opportunity to prove<br />
myself. If you work hard, there are amazing<br />
opportunities that will open to you.”<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Twenty-nine
CHASE WILSON (‘14)<br />
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY<br />
REACHING OUTSIDE THE BOX<br />
Chase Wilson started his college search<br />
on autopilot.<br />
Born and raised in North Carolina,<br />
he’d had a lifetime <strong>of</strong> exposure to local<br />
universities. When it came time to apply,<br />
North Carolina State University, the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> North Carolina at Chapel<br />
Hill, and Elon College were obvious<br />
choices. Familiar with Boston, he added<br />
Boston University, Boston College, and<br />
Northeastern as his “plan b” schools.<br />
“Honestly, my thinking was about<br />
as un-critical as it could have been,”<br />
reflects Wilson. “I knew what schools<br />
most people expected me to apply to and<br />
didn’t question it. A lot <strong>of</strong> my friends<br />
were going to local schools; I always<br />
expected to go where they went. I just<br />
wanted somewhere I’d feel comfortable.<br />
I assumed I’d go to Carolina. I just knew<br />
I’d get into State.”<br />
A deferred decision from State<br />
and a waitlist placement at Carolina<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered a sobering wake-up call, forcing<br />
introspection. “Suddenly, I had to rethink<br />
my entire process. I realized I wasn’t going<br />
to be able to do what I had always expected<br />
to,” says Wilson. “I had to look into other<br />
options and evaluate what I wanted.”<br />
College counselor Laura Sellers proved<br />
instrumental to that process. “She<br />
encouraged me to think outside the box,<br />
to think bigger than what I had originally<br />
envisioned for myself,” says Wilson.<br />
“Her enthusiasm towards all the other<br />
options helped me to consider those that<br />
I wouldn’t have otherwise.”<br />
In the end, it was Northeastern<br />
University that would rise to the top <strong>of</strong><br />
his list. Not because it was a comfortable<br />
Boston choice, but because <strong>of</strong> its innovative<br />
co-op program that focuses on hands-on<br />
learning and workforce preparedness.<br />
“You go to college to get a job when<br />
you graduate, but some schools simply<br />
have you in a classroom trying to<br />
teach applicable skills without the<br />
opportunity to apply them,” reflects<br />
Wilson. “Northeastern’s philosophy is<br />
that extended experiential learning in the<br />
workplace will help you be more prepared<br />
and employable when you graduate.”<br />
Further upping Northeastern’s appeal, it<br />
didn’t hurt that Wilson’s admission came<br />
with an intriguing twist. He was accepted<br />
into the “N.U. in” program that required<br />
he spend his very first semester <strong>of</strong> college<br />
abroad. It was an experience that would<br />
prove transformational, setting the tone<br />
for the rest <strong>of</strong> his college journey.<br />
“For my first six months <strong>of</strong> college,<br />
I studied at a partner university in<br />
Melbourne, Australia. It was a completely<br />
different experience from what I was<br />
used to in North Carolina,” reflects<br />
Wilson. “It opened my eyes to what<br />
college was really about. It wasn’t about<br />
staying in the Triangle, or in my comfort<br />
zone, but about exploring beyond it (and,<br />
in Melbourne, I was way beyond it).”<br />
Northeastern students can choose<br />
to complete two or three six-month<br />
immersive, for-credit co-op internships<br />
as part <strong>of</strong> their undergraduate<br />
curriculum. Co-ops are extensive and<br />
competitive, with students applying and<br />
interviewing to secure placements, just<br />
as they would a real job. Pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
development classes on topics like<br />
interview skills and resume creation <strong>of</strong>fer<br />
pragmatic advice to support students.<br />
Interested in business, Wilson pursued<br />
co-ops that let him investigate different<br />
aspects <strong>of</strong> the financial world. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
would <strong>of</strong>fer some <strong>of</strong> his most valuable<br />
academic experiences, ultimately guiding<br />
him to his current career in accounting.<br />
“My co-op with GE Aviation was<br />
cool,” recalls Wilson. “Walking across the<br />
manufacturing floor to get to my <strong>of</strong>fice—it<br />
was a very different environment than<br />
what I was used to. I was working around<br />
aircraft engines, but learning real financial<br />
management, analyzing the costs <strong>of</strong> parts,<br />
<strong>of</strong> waste, <strong>of</strong> unionized labor.”<br />
Another placement with mutual<br />
fund company Eaton Vance <strong>of</strong>fered an<br />
invaluable introduction into the world <strong>of</strong><br />
investment and trading. “I was putting in<br />
long, intense hours on the global trading<br />
floor. I had relatively important work for<br />
an intern and got to see all the different<br />
things that the job requires as a result.<br />
Honestly, it turned me <strong>of</strong>f!”<br />
To Wilson, the opportunity to explore,<br />
to identify what will and won’t work in<br />
the real world before graduation, is part <strong>of</strong><br />
the beauty <strong>of</strong> the co-op approach. “I loved<br />
my experience at Eaton Vance because<br />
my whole college career I thought I had<br />
wanted to focus on trading, but this taught<br />
me that I didn’t, that it wasn’t a good fit. It<br />
helped me realize what I did want to do,<br />
which was accounting.”<br />
With a clear vision, Wilson graduated<br />
in 2018 and earned his CPA. Thanks<br />
to a Northeastern program that allows<br />
undergraduates to complete master’s<br />
degree coursework, he completed his<br />
Master’s in Accounting just three short<br />
months after that.<br />
Wilson currently works as an auditor<br />
for global financial firm KPMG, where<br />
he assesses the financial health <strong>of</strong><br />
organizations. For now, he’s content and<br />
focused on amassing experience that<br />
he hopes to one day apply to his larger<br />
dream: starting his own business.<br />
Thirty<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
WORDS OF WISDOM<br />
CA alums share their best advice on the college selection process.<br />
“Put things in perspective. <strong>The</strong>re are a lot <strong>of</strong> ways to<br />
be happy and a lot <strong>of</strong> ways to find where you will be<br />
happiest. One or two decisions or results are not going<br />
to make or break your life. It is all part <strong>of</strong> what will make<br />
you be you; it’s the journey.” — ESRA BALKAS (‘17)<br />
“While I had that a-ha moment, to be honest, I<br />
probably would have been happy a lot <strong>of</strong> different<br />
places. College is about the community you find and<br />
the alumni network you build. At the end <strong>of</strong> the day,<br />
overstressing about the perfect place—if it doesn’t hit<br />
you on the college tour trail—isn’t necessary. You’ll find<br />
your people wherever you go.” — CARRIE MILLER (‘04)<br />
“Your worth is not measured by your productivity. Your<br />
worth is not measured by your metrics. Your worth is<br />
not measured by your acceptances. You are already<br />
worthy.” — KENDALL BELL (‘15)<br />
“Take the process step-by-step, one thing at a time,<br />
and don’t let it overwhelm you and stress you out.<br />
College selection is a huge decision, but it should<br />
also be a fun decision.” — ANASTASIA MORGUS (‘14)<br />
“Quiet the noise. This is the first big decision that<br />
you are making as an adult. This is about your life<br />
and no one else can live it for you. It’s important<br />
to stay true to yourself, to your own goals and<br />
aspirations.” — ZIYANA GREENE (‘18)<br />
“Keep an open mind. Pay attention to your inner<br />
voice. Go to a school that will let you experiment. Be<br />
okay with failure. It is okay to apply to places and not<br />
get in. It will all be okay if you approach it with the<br />
right attitude.” — RITU PRASAD (‘10)<br />
“This can be a stressful time and you never know what<br />
your fellow students are going through. Be respectful<br />
<strong>of</strong> your peers. Gossiping creates a toxic culture that<br />
doesn’t benefit anyone. Instead, try to relax and<br />
embrace your own journey.” — DEMING HAINES (‘17)<br />
“Don’t go by rankings; that is short-sighted. Break<br />
down what you are looking for in a school to the<br />
most granular level possible and work backwards<br />
from there.” — ILAN SZULIK (‘14)<br />
“Find the school that is right for you and right for your<br />
dreams. If you are trying to change yourself for the<br />
school, it won’t work. <strong>The</strong> school has to fit you.”<br />
— BEN HATFIELD (‘14)<br />
“Keep an open mind and look for yourself—not for what<br />
your friends are looking for, not for what your parents<br />
are looking for. <strong>The</strong> most important thing is to find the<br />
right fit. Reach out to alums and do college visits to<br />
help identify what feels right.” — ANDY WALSH (‘09)<br />
“Don’t be afraid to reach. No one knows what you can<br />
do but you.” — LEX-JORDAN IBEGBU (‘08)<br />
“Remember that your college choice is about what<br />
you want your life to be in four years, not just what<br />
you want it to be for four years.” — CHASE WILSON (‘14)<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Thirty-one
Sixteen years ago, Assistant<br />
Athletic Director Ray Pope never<br />
saw a place for himself in the<br />
classroom. In the summer <strong>of</strong><br />
2003, his phone was ringing <strong>of</strong>f<br />
the hook; <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> called<br />
daily, in search <strong>of</strong> a new baseball<br />
coach. His answer every single<br />
time: “I’m not interested.”<br />
TOP<br />
OF HIS<br />
Coach Pope—who teaches physical<br />
education and surpassed 200 wins as CA’s<br />
varsity baseball coach this past May—<br />
recalls, “I had no plans to be a high<br />
school coach; never in my wildest dreams<br />
did I think this was in my future.”<br />
To this point in life, Pope had been<br />
many things: a baseball player for the<br />
Army, senior management at McDonald’s,<br />
scout for the Atlanta Braves, private<br />
baseball coach, husband, and father, but<br />
there was one thing he was certain he had<br />
never been. “I’d never been a teacher; it<br />
didn’t seem like something I could do.”<br />
<strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> wouldn’t take “no” for<br />
an answer. Pope had earned a stellar<br />
reputation with CA administrators and<br />
several parents through his work as a<br />
coach with Grand Slam sports, where he<br />
worked with aspiring baseball players<br />
to elevate their skills and their outlook<br />
through private lessons.<br />
Convinced to come in for a meeting,<br />
a conversation with then-Athletic<br />
Co-Director Kim Cherre gave him a<br />
new frame <strong>of</strong> reference. “I came away<br />
realizing that, as a coach, I was always<br />
teaching. If I could be a teacher out on<br />
the field, I could do it in a classroom.”<br />
<strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> finally got their “yes.”<br />
GAME
CHANGING MINDSETS<br />
During During his first year at <strong>Cary</strong><br />
<strong>Academy</strong>, Pope’s varsity baseball team won just<br />
four games, but it wasn’t the number <strong>of</strong> losses<br />
that concerned him; it was his players’ mindset.<br />
“I heard kids in the dugout, before the first<br />
game, wondering how badly they were going to<br />
lose that day. No matter what, I knew the first<br />
thing that needed to change was the culture. We<br />
hadn’t even played a game yet and they were<br />
talking about losing. Don’t get me wrong: I like<br />
winning, but only if we win the right way.”<br />
One <strong>of</strong> Pope’s first changes to CA’s<br />
program was to implement year-round<br />
baseball workouts. <strong>The</strong>y allowed him to<br />
build deeper connections with his players<br />
that extended beyond the short season. He<br />
focused on rewarding students’ work ethic,<br />
determination, dedication, and outlook, in<br />
addition to improving their athletic skills.<br />
It did not take long for Pope’s efforts to have<br />
an impact. <strong>The</strong> Chargers won a conference<br />
championship during just his second season<br />
as head coach.<br />
“My coaching philosophy is about planting<br />
seeds and empowering people—not just on<br />
the athletic field—but in the classroom, and<br />
their broader lives. I try to take the students<br />
we have and help make them better.”<br />
Pope is a big believer in the power <strong>of</strong><br />
athletics to transform, to convey big life<br />
lessons. “Since I was nine or ten, sports have<br />
been a stabilizing force in my life. When I’m<br />
stressed out, I fall back on the lessons I’ve<br />
learned from them.” He credits athletics with<br />
providing him a moral compass throughout<br />
his own life. His baseball career has taught him<br />
to listen to those he leads; to appreciate those<br />
who support him—most notably for Pope, his<br />
wife <strong>of</strong> more than 40 years, Judy Pope; and to<br />
recognize the importance <strong>of</strong> “taking care <strong>of</strong><br />
business” in life beyond the playing field.<br />
It is exactly these kind <strong>of</strong> personal lessons and<br />
experiences that Pope hopes to impart to his<br />
students and players. He makes sure they know<br />
his guidance comes from a place <strong>of</strong> affection,<br />
a desire to make sure that their time in Upper<br />
School will be “four years they can be proud <strong>of</strong>.”<br />
“Coach Pope was a great role model,” <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
Justin Reich (’16), who played for Pope for four<br />
years. “He helped us grow as players and people,<br />
preaching that it’s the ‘little things’—things like<br />
character, dedication, and attention to detail—<br />
that win games, that matter beyond baseball.”<br />
While Pope, who describes himself as an<br />
“old school coach,” knows how to light a fire<br />
under his students, he also knows how to<br />
support and enable them to reach the next<br />
level. “My kids know I love them. <strong>The</strong>y know I<br />
care about their success, both on the field and<br />
in the classroom.”<br />
“On senior day, Coach<br />
asks each graduating player<br />
for a hat from their college,”<br />
explains Reich. “Those hats<br />
line the walls <strong>of</strong> his <strong>of</strong>fice,<br />
alongside trophies, bats, and<br />
team pictures. It shows just<br />
how invested he is in his<br />
players’ lives and how proud<br />
he is <strong>of</strong> CA baseball.”<br />
Pope acknowledges<br />
that the nature <strong>of</strong> athletics<br />
means that he might be<br />
leading his players and<br />
students into situations<br />
where they must learn to<br />
cope with challenges, adversity, and even<br />
disappointments that can cause friction in the<br />
moment. “Sometimes they make mistakes and<br />
that can lead to serious talks,” he <strong>of</strong>fers.<br />
As a result, he notes that he might not<br />
always be the favorite teacher when it comes<br />
time for students to graduate. He’s come<br />
to learn, however, that lessons not always<br />
appreciated in the moment have a way <strong>of</strong><br />
becoming understood and respected over<br />
time: “One way I measure success is how<br />
many weddings I get invited to,” he quips.<br />
Let’s just say he’s been to more than a few.<br />
LEADING BY EXAMPLE<br />
Four years ago, Pope was asked by Athletic<br />
Director Kevin Jones to attend a workshop by<br />
Jeff Janssen, a world-wide leader in athletic<br />
leadership. It would prove to be a pivotal<br />
experience.<br />
Inspired by the workshop, Pope proposed<br />
an after-school Athletic Leadership <strong>Academy</strong><br />
for <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> students, athletes, faculty,<br />
and staff. Over the academic year, participants<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Thirty-three
would meet to learn how to better listen,<br />
respect, energize, and empower their peers.<br />
And, any student interested in captaining a<br />
team would be required to participate.<br />
Now entering its fourth year, the<br />
program—led by Pope and his son Brandon,<br />
a fellow coach and CA physical education<br />
teacher—mentors 75 students annually.<br />
Half <strong>of</strong> the students are “emerging” leaders<br />
attending for the first time; the other half are<br />
veterans who, having learned the skills during<br />
a previous Leadership <strong>Academy</strong>, are tasked<br />
with applying those lessons to the real world.<br />
Emerging and veteran leaders alike meet six<br />
times over the year to role-play scenarios<br />
and discuss the finer points <strong>of</strong> identifying the<br />
needs <strong>of</strong> their peers and teammates.<br />
Pope runs a tight ship. He locks the doors<br />
promptly when class begins and tolerates<br />
no unexcused absences. But don’t mistake<br />
accountability for inflexibility.<br />
Like other courses at CA, students in the<br />
Leadership <strong>Academy</strong> have a role to play<br />
in shaping their learning. Every year, the<br />
program has evolved, with changes directed<br />
by student input. <strong>The</strong> length <strong>of</strong> individual<br />
classes, the pedagogical format, the topics <strong>of</strong><br />
focus, the timing after school, and even the<br />
food served, have all been reworked, at some<br />
point, to address student needs or feedback.<br />
Listening to the needs <strong>of</strong> his students is<br />
a key tenet <strong>of</strong> Pope’s leadership philosophy,<br />
which he hopes to impart to his students,<br />
whether or not they seek a leadership role.<br />
“Not everyone wants to be a leader, but they<br />
can learn the skills and use them throughout<br />
their lives, in school, work, and home.”<br />
<strong>of</strong> administration, coaching staff, faculty,<br />
parents, and players to make that happen.”<br />
Pope calls his current role at CA a “dream<br />
job”—both for allowing him to work alongside<br />
his son, Brandon, and for the life-changing<br />
chance to teach.<br />
“Teaching is a two-way street. I learn<br />
more from the kids than they do from me,<br />
sometimes. And, there is always more to<br />
know, whether it’s about life, school, or<br />
baseball; if you stop learning, then you’re<br />
doing something wrong.”<br />
Pope’s passion for teaching extends beyond<br />
his formal roles in the baseball dugout and<br />
Fitness Center. He regularly mentors other<br />
CA coaches and aids in the Middle School<br />
student experience by providing lessons on<br />
sportsmanship, self-confidence, teamwork,<br />
and work ethic, all <strong>of</strong> which he models in his<br />
day-to-day campus life.<br />
On most days, Pope is the first to arrive on<br />
campus and one <strong>of</strong> the last to leave. “At the end<br />
<strong>of</strong> each day, I want to be able to ask myself,<br />
‘Did I do the best job I could today?’ And then<br />
I get up and do it, again, tomorrow.”<br />
At the heart <strong>of</strong> his work ethic? A love <strong>of</strong><br />
baseball: “I love it mostly for the life lessons<br />
it teaches: leadership, respect, how to handle<br />
failure, how to work together as a team, how to<br />
care about your teammates, how to celebrate a<br />
teammate’s success, how to put the needs <strong>of</strong> the<br />
team ahead <strong>of</strong> your own. It takes a lot <strong>of</strong> skill to<br />
play the game. Trying to hit a round ball with a<br />
round bat? Not everybody can do that. Oh, did<br />
I mention how fun it is? Not a better game.”<br />
GET UP AND DO IT AGAIN, TOMORROW<br />
As is typical <strong>of</strong> his humble leadership style,<br />
Pope didn’t call attention to surpassing 200<br />
wins. He wasn’t even aware <strong>of</strong> the milestone<br />
until Head <strong>of</strong> School Mike Ehrhardt stopped<br />
by his <strong>of</strong>fice to <strong>of</strong>fer congratulations.<br />
True to form, his focus was already on to the<br />
next challenge. To Pope, it was just another<br />
win by his players and certainly one he<br />
wouldn’t take the credit for alone: “200 wins?<br />
One person can’t do that—it takes a coalition<br />
Thirty-four<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>
Alumni News<br />
2018<br />
In April, Thomas H<strong>of</strong>fmann’s<br />
Team 23 won the <strong>2019</strong> Data<br />
Open National Championship<br />
at the New York Stock Exchange.<br />
H<strong>of</strong>fman’s four-person team<br />
competed against graduate<br />
students, postdocs, and other<br />
college students, winning a cash<br />
prize <strong>of</strong> $100,000.<br />
2016<br />
UNC's <strong>2019</strong> Undergraduate<br />
Public Service Award was<br />
presented to Emma Ehrhardt<br />
for her work as founder and<br />
co-chair <strong>of</strong> Stage Play, an<br />
organization that provides<br />
acting classes for children<br />
with autism.<br />
2015<br />
Kristin Andrejko published an<br />
article in the January-February<br />
<strong>2019</strong> issue <strong>of</strong> Travel Medicine<br />
and Infectious Disease. She will<br />
begin a PhD in Epidemiology<br />
at the University <strong>of</strong> California at<br />
Berkeley this fall.<br />
Anna Jenkins, who graduated<br />
from Duke University in May<br />
<strong>2019</strong>, is the recipient <strong>of</strong> a<br />
Fulbright Scholarship to teach<br />
English in Germany.<br />
Josh Milligan graduated Summa<br />
Cum Laude from the NCSU/<br />
UNC joint Honors Biomedical<br />
Engineering program in May.<br />
He will start a PhD in BME at<br />
Duke University this fall.<br />
2011<br />
Alex Evans married Lauren<br />
Kester in Asheville, NC, on<br />
June 1, <strong>2019</strong>. Several fellow<br />
members <strong>of</strong> the Class <strong>of</strong><br />
2011 attended the wedding<br />
festivities, including Kenji<br />
Jameel, Maggie Kneifel,<br />
Hannah Kisley, Michael<br />
Laverick, Patrick Luo, Alex<br />
Spancake, Dylan Sweetwood,<br />
and Andrew Tie. 1<br />
2008<br />
Julie Cooper and her husband,<br />
Eli, welcomed their first child,<br />
Nora June Colman, on April<br />
16, <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Mark Easley lives in the<br />
Research Triangle and works<br />
as a marketing manager for<br />
Texas Instruments, Inc., where<br />
he supports engineering<br />
colleges on the east coast with<br />
semiconductor technology,<br />
workshops, and curriculum<br />
consulting through the TI<br />
University Program.<br />
Michelle (Luo) Petkov recently<br />
relocated from West Palm<br />
Beach, FL to New Jersey to<br />
work for Bristol-Myers Squibb.<br />
She and her husband, Atanas,<br />
recently met up with Rachel<br />
(Parks) Radnitzer in Princeton,<br />
NJ for their college reunion. 2<br />
2007<br />
Rachel (Parks) Radnitzer<br />
lives with her husband, Isaac,<br />
and son, Caleb, in New York<br />
City, where she works for JP<br />
Morgan Chase. She recently<br />
completed her 25th marathon,<br />
a natural by-product <strong>of</strong> her CA<br />
cross-country experiences. 2<br />
2006<br />
Paul Laurent and his wife<br />
Amanda started a new<br />
company, Epic Nature Tours,<br />
<strong>of</strong>fering guided eco-tours to<br />
Costa Rica.<br />
2005<br />
Whitney Hill became engaged<br />
to William Davis during a<br />
surprise vacation to Paris and<br />
Beaune, France. <strong>The</strong> couple<br />
currently lives in Charlotte. <strong>The</strong><br />
wedding will take place next<br />
spring in <strong>Cary</strong>.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
2004<br />
Brent Collins and his wife,<br />
Megan, moved back to Raleigh,<br />
before welcoming their first<br />
child, Cameron Elizabeth<br />
Collins, on May 6, <strong>2019</strong>. Brent is<br />
also working towards his MBA<br />
at Baylor University, anticipating<br />
a 2020 graduation. 3<br />
Carolyn Usanis graduated<br />
from Columbia Medical<br />
School in May. She will<br />
start residency training in<br />
psychiatry at Duke University<br />
Hospital in July <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
2003<br />
In June, Jhanalyn Blount<br />
was sworn into the bar <strong>of</strong><br />
the Supreme Court <strong>of</strong> the<br />
United States, enabling her<br />
to argue cases before the<br />
Supreme Court.<br />
BOSTON ALUMNI DINNER<br />
In May, a group <strong>of</strong> CA alums came together to swap stories and<br />
catch up at the Grafton Street Pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were joined by college counselor Laura Sellers.<br />
3<br />
?<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong><br />
Thirty-five
<strong>The</strong> Big Question<br />
IF YOU HAD A<br />
TIME MACHINE,<br />
WHEN AND WHERE<br />
WOULD YOU GO?<br />
Thirty-six
GRANT WARD<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2025<br />
SALMA SAID<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
FREDDIE LUND<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2025<br />
EMILY WANG<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2022<br />
I would go back in time to the<br />
age <strong>of</strong> the dinosaurs to see<br />
what they looked like because<br />
we don't really know what<br />
their skin color was.<br />
I would go back to the first<br />
Olympics because I bet it<br />
would be entertaining.<br />
I would probably go back in<br />
time so I could finish my World<br />
Cultures homework because I<br />
still need to do that.<br />
I would go to Yorktown,<br />
Virginia at the end <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Revolutionary War to see the<br />
British surrender to George<br />
Washington.<br />
HEATHER CLARKSON<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> Admissions<br />
November 1, 1604—Whitehall<br />
Palace, London. I’d get to see<br />
the very first performance <strong>of</strong><br />
Othello, my favorite play by<br />
William Shakespeare.<br />
IAN WASHABAUGH<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
I would go back to ancient<br />
Greece and compare the<br />
culture to what I learned in<br />
school to see what we got<br />
right and wrong. (And, I also<br />
love Greek food).<br />
CARSON POLLOCK<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2025<br />
I would probably go to the<br />
mountains during the ice<br />
age, when the ice age ended,<br />
to see how they survived<br />
climate change.<br />
HAN ZHANG<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2021<br />
I would go to the future<br />
because it's exciting to see<br />
something that you don't know.<br />
SIERRA NESBITH<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2022<br />
I would go back to April 1912<br />
and captain the Californian and<br />
direct them to rescue everyone<br />
on the Titanic.<br />
CHIOMA MODILIM<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2022<br />
If I could go back in time, I<br />
think I'd go back to when my<br />
mom was a kid. I don't really<br />
have any photos from back<br />
then and I would love to see<br />
what she was like.<br />
LESTER TURNER<br />
Band Director<br />
My date would have to be<br />
1824—the year Beethoven<br />
premiered his final and most<br />
famous Ninth Symphony.<br />
He was completely deaf by<br />
this time in his life and still<br />
managed to take part in<br />
the premiere, despite not<br />
even being able to hear<br />
the orchestra. He had to be<br />
physically turned around to<br />
see the audience giving him<br />
a standing ovation. To be a<br />
part <strong>of</strong> that important event<br />
in musical history would be<br />
beyond amazing. Plus, I think I<br />
could rock that 1800 waistcoat<br />
and overcoat look!<br />
VIKRAM KAMARETTI<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2023<br />
To the beginning <strong>of</strong> time,<br />
to see how everything<br />
was created.<br />
CURT SHERMAN<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
I would go back and visit my<br />
grandparents because they<br />
passed away a while ago.
1500 N. Harrison Ave. | <strong>Cary</strong>, NC 27513<br />
caryacademy.org<br />
SCHOLARS’ GOLF CLASSIC SPONSORS<br />
GRAND SPONSOR<br />
DPR Construction<br />
ENDOWMENT CIRCLE<br />
Atlantic Tire & Service<br />
Davis Kane Architects, P.A.<br />
Kioti Tractor<br />
LS3P<br />
Lenovo / Intel<br />
PharmAvail<br />
PNC Corporate Banking<br />
Preston Development<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rawl Family<br />
Revels Turf & Tractor / John Deere<br />
SAS<br />
Shelco<br />
SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTER<br />
Hendrick <strong>Cary</strong> Auto Mall<br />
North Carolina Nephrology<br />
SteelFab<br />
FACULTY FRIENDS<br />
AVCON<br />
Baker Ro<strong>of</strong>ing<br />
Bank <strong>of</strong> America Merrill Lynch<br />
Blue Cross and Blue Shield <strong>of</strong><br />
North Carolina<br />
Brady Services<br />
Brodie Contractors<br />
Cenplex Building Services<br />
<strong>The</strong> Coley Family<br />
Compass Financial Partners<br />
Curran Family Foundation<br />
Dun & Bradstreet<br />
George Finch/Boney and<br />
Associates, P.A.<br />
Hamlin Ro<strong>of</strong>ing<br />
Harris Rebar<br />
Martin Architectural Products<br />
RATIO Design<br />
Realty Investments LLC<br />
Ro<strong>of</strong>werks<br />
SPS Corporation<br />
<strong>The</strong> Angus Barn<br />
<strong>The</strong> Swartz Family<br />
Alex Wilson (’04)<br />
WithersRavenel<br />
BLUE TEE/GREEN SPONSOR<br />
SAGE Dining Services<br />
CARY ACADEMY FRIENDS<br />
Dave and Wendy Andrews<br />
Sam Andrews<br />
Esa Bloedon<br />
Kenneth Bollinger<br />
Dennis Burns<br />
Sean Callihan<br />
Bill Coulthart<br />
David Cree<br />
Custom Brick Company<br />
Brett Dorfman<br />
Charles Eisenbeis<br />
Troy George<br />
Brian Goodfriend<br />
Horace Hodges<br />
Bobby Jett<br />
John Kacvinsky<br />
Gregory Kopf<br />
Brian and Lisa Mathis<br />
Scott McGarrigan<br />
Tim McLane<br />
Franco Multari<br />
Eric Parker<br />
Way Poteat<br />
Mike Prentiss<br />
Dwayne Smith<br />
Dennis Simpson<br />
Ron Smetana<br />
Greg Stephens<br />
Will Stewart<br />
Jim Taylor<br />
Scott Tunley<br />
Brian Watts<br />
Trey Winslett<br />
Jie Xing<br />
In May, 260 golfers hit the links<br />
for the 22nd Annual Scholars'<br />
Golf Classic benefitting CA’s<br />
Scholarship Fund. Thanks to<br />
our volunteers, Prestonwood<br />
Country Club, and our sponsors<br />
for helping make the event a<br />
resounding success.<br />
In accordance with our mission and the law, <strong>Cary</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> does not discriminate on the basis <strong>of</strong> race, gender, national and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.