Choosing to Stay Connected — Alumni on the Hilltop
As you walk across the Quad and through the main entrance door above which is inscribed “Enter here to be and find a friend,” one cannot help but feel instantly moved by a sense of welcome and comfort. Perhaps that warmth was the goal more than a century ago when Mrs. Hackley first envisioned the School. One thing is certain: for many, Hackley is where the heart is.
Across decades, the campus has come alive with the spirit of giving—through both philanthropy and the giving of personal time to various efforts. The community’s commitment to doing more is born out of a passion for education and a connection to the Hilltop. From current families to alumni and employees, the people of Hackley provide unwavering support for the growth of the School and the enrichment of student life. Alumni, specifically, do so much for their beloved Hilltop. The ways in which they give back to their alma mater, and the reasons they choose to stay connected, are as diverse as they are inspiring.
Some alumni choose to give back to the School by participating in fundraising efforts and community events; others volunteer as class reps, responsible for keeping their peers engaged. Many share their expertise with current students in ways that demonstrate how the lessons they learn in the classroom come to life across professions, or they welcome students into their workplace for senior project internships. And others offer mentorships for fellow alumni that can be invaluable for those just beginning their careers. No matter how they choose to give back, Hackley alumni are united by a shared passion for the School, a deep respect for one another, and an emphatic commitment to the next generation of students.
“We have our shared tenets of Enter Here To Be and Find a Friend and United, We Help One Another,” shared Christie Philbrick-Wheaton ’00, President of the Hackley Alumni Association (HAA) Board since 2007. “[Alumni] remember that whether they graduated last year, or 10 years ago, or 50, keeping a connection to the School is vital to the educational experience of current students. We grow up and develop our careers and do cool things, but when we go back to visit our Hackley, we remember the young people that we were when we were students on the Hilltop. We get to meet these current students who are incredibly poised, graceful, and impressive, and having the opportunity to interact with them is so rewarding.”
For alumni, a connection to the School also means a deep connection to the students who walk the halls today. When students travel abroad, for example, the Alumni Office will connect them with alumni living in the areas to which they are traveling. Students and alumni overseas have been known to meet for a meal or coffee, elevating the abroad experience. These interactions also have a positive impact on the participating alumni.
During a conversation with Fred Hochberg ’70—former chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and author of Trade is Not A Four Letter Word—about his recent guest lecture in David Sykes’ Economics class, Fred shared, “I benefit from seeing how students see things today and how they understand [the world around them]. … It is easy to be siloed in terms of our experiences. Generational diversity is important. We are experiencing a real divide and a generation gap as severe as it was during the Vietnam War. A lot of it comes down to issues of race and gender. Getting into the classroom is a good way to get in touch with that. Getting exposed to another generation and hearing their point of view makes us better-rounded people.”
Fred began visiting the Economics class virtually in 2020 and returned to the Hilltop in person this fall. Other alumni guest speakers on the Hilltop this year included former Independent Science Research Program student Josh Saha ’20, who visited current ISRP students to discuss the importance of internships, and Olivia Zalesin ’13, who spoke with the Food and Power class about her work as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. Reflecting on a December 2021 ISRP visit from Dr. Hilary [Cohen] Gallin ’05 in which she discussed her Fastline Device project to assist anesthesiologists performing central line procedures, one student remarked, “I was starstruck,” while others referred to her as an “idol” and shared, “[Dr. Gallin’s presentation] taught me more about how navigating one’s interests is more important than sticking to a concrete plan because, in the end, it could lead to you combining your passions to make a deeper impact.”
Early intervention physical therapist Dr. Kenda Kittrell Chavis ’91 reminisced, “I joined Hackley in the sixth grade, and I remember about five or six African American students, older students who I admired and considered mentors. Tanisha Landry, Courtney Oliver, and Dana Thomas all come to mind. I remember that those conversations and connections with those older students were really meaningful. We did not have deep conversations—Dana must have been in high school—but knowing that she was coming and that I would see her in the gym and the excitement of wondering what was to come were really inspiring moments for me. I can only hope that my presence can be impactful for students and that I can be a source of inspiration for them.” Kenda gives back by actively engaging alumni peers as a class representative and, for the first time this year, as a regional host in the D.C. area. She has also attended virtual gatherings and delivered a speech to the Hackley community in honor of Dave Allison, or Mr. A. as students called him, during a Dave Allison Memorial Game in 2021. “My availability and giving back to students is extremely important to me.”
“The range of things that our alumni do is impressive,” shared Christie. “I’m honored to be able to be part of facilitating discussions and connecting people, and then bringing them back to Hackley to talk to our students about what it is that they’re doing. We have a really tremendous network of alumni in every profession doing all sorts of amazing things, from the founders of code.org to race car drivers, wine makers, doctors, and lawyers.”
Those networking moments yield great engagement opportunities. Through the School’s Varying Perspectives in Action speaker series last year, HAA board member and military veterans psychologist Dr. Gentry Torell ’11 conducted several panel discussions for current families, students, and alumni about what it means to be in the service and how people recover from being in combat zones. As part of those panels, she invited Hackley alumni who are military veterans to share their experience. This type of event allows our community to learn directly from people who have lived through experiences others have only read about.
Alumni feel deeply connected to the Hilltop every day, and conversations with today’s students create opportunities for shared learning. “Our networking initiative offers alumni events that have a specific focus,” Christie noted. “We’ve done health care, law, real estate, finance, and more. And what’s different these last seven or eight years is that we also invite families, students, and employees. Our panel discussions are an incredible opportunity to build that network of connections across our entire community.”
Any amount of time volunteering is helpful and beneficial to the students, to the School, and to alumni. Interested in getting face-time with students for a more direct impact? Connect with the Upper School about Senior Project internships. Or mentor students through such programs as the new Just-In-Time Mentors Program. You can also visit any division’s classrooms or clubs to talk about how you do what you do. Such efforts by alumni and their families, along with our community of current families, have helped our students thrive.
So, why stay connected to the School community? Christie says that she simply has a love for having the opportunity to stay involved. “I came to Hackley as a ninth grader, and it was incredibly challenging for me,” she reminisced. “I was not sure if [Hackley] was the right place for me because it was such a challenge. I failed my first-ever quiz in Chris Arnold’s class. But [Hackley] helped me grow and find my strengths and confidence in a way that I never could have imagined. By the time I graduated, I was so prepared academically and emotionally for life beyond the Hilltop, and I think that played a really big role in becoming who I am now. … I give back to Hackley because it makes me happy.”
Kenda noted, “I really can’t think of a time that I wasn’t connected to Hackley in some way. I’ve been volunteering since I graduated. … It feels good to be helpful to those who are still there. I have really fond memories of teachers who saw my potential and helped me reach it. I stay connected because I’m appreciative of that and because it’s important to come back and let the students see our faces and know that we care. Hackley doesn’t end after you graduate. There’s a whole world of Hackleyites who are doing amazing things, and we all support each other.”
The ways in which alumni give back to the Hilltop are a testament to the enduring impact of education and the power of community. By giving back in whatever way they can, they help to shape the future. As Fred reminded me, “Bill Clinton said there are three things we should do in life: 1. Leave things in a better place than we found them; 2. Working together we can get more done than working alone; and 3. We have more things in common than separate us. And I think those three things are true. If you think about those on a regular basis, you know what…this will be a better place for all of us to live.” Alumni may have graduated from the School, but their enduring support elevates Hackley’s legacy every day.
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This article is about the ways in which alumni give back to the School, but we would like to take this opportunity to thank the extended community for the ways in which you, too, give back. The contributions from current and past employees, families of alumni, and current families are many, from classroom visits to daily volunteering and so much more. We see you. And we thank you.This form of giving back to the School is about more than presenting to students how the lessons learned in the classroom come to life off-campus; it’s also about introducing careers to students that they may not have considered a possibility and exposing them to other lived experiences. Students see themselves in the alumni that visit the classroom in much the same way that Lower School students look up to Upper Schoolers.
Early intervention physical therapist Dr. Kenda Kittrell Chavis ’91 reminisced, “I joined Hackley in the sixth grade, and I remember about five or six African American students, older students who I admired and considered mentors. Tanisha Landry, Courtney Oliver, and Dana Thomas all come to mind. I remember that those conversations and connections with those older students were really meaningful. We did not have deep conversations—Dana must have been in high school—but knowing that she was coming and that I would see her in the gym and the excitement of wondering what was to come were really inspiring moments for me. I can only hope that my presence can be impactful for students and that I can be a source of inspiration for them.” Kenda gives back by actively engaging alumni peers as a class representative and, for the first time this year, as a regional host in the D.C. area. She has also attended virtual gatherings and delivered a speech to the Hackley community in honor of Dave Allison, or Mr. A. as students called him, during a Dave Allison Memorial Game in 2021. “My availability and giving back to students is extremely important to me.”
“The range of things that our alumni do is impressive,” shared Christie. “I’m honored to be able to be part of facilitating discussions and connecting people, and then bringing them back to Hackley to talk to our students about what it is that they’re doing. We have a really tremendous network of alumni in every profession doing all sorts of amazing things, from the founders of code.org to race car drivers, wine makers, doctors, and lawyers.”
Those networking moments yield great engagement opportunities. Through the School’s Varying Perspectives in Action speaker series last year, HAA board member and military veterans psychologist Dr. Gentry Torell ’11 conducted several panel discussions for current families, students, and alumni about what it means to be in the service and how people recover from being in combat zones. As part of those panels, she invited Hackley alumni who are military veterans to share their experience. This type of event allows our community to learn directly from people who have lived through experiences others have only read about.
Alumni feel deeply connected to the Hilltop every day, and conversations with today’s students create opportunities for shared learning. “Our networking initiative offers alumni events that have a specific focus,” Christie noted. “We’ve done health care, law, real estate, finance, and more. And what’s different these last seven or eight years is that we also invite families, students, and employees. Our panel discussions are an incredible opportunity to build that network of connections across our entire community.”
Any amount of time volunteering is helpful and beneficial to the students, to the School, and to alumni. Interested in getting face-time with students for a more direct impact? Connect with the Upper School about Senior Project internships. Or mentor students through such programs as the new Just-In-Time Mentors Program. You can also visit any division’s classrooms or clubs to talk about how you do what you do. Such efforts by alumni and their families, along with our community of current families, have helped our students thrive.
So, why stay connected to the School community? Christie says that she simply has a love for having the opportunity to stay involved. “I came to Hackley as a ninth grader, and it was incredibly challenging for me,” she reminisced. “I was not sure if [Hackley] was the right place for me because it was such a challenge. I failed my first-ever quiz in Chris Arnold’s class. But [Hackley] helped me grow and find my strengths and confidence in a way that I never could have imagined. By the time I graduated, I was so prepared academically and emotionally for life beyond the Hilltop, and I think that played a really big role in becoming who I am now. … I give back to Hackley because it makes me happy.”
Kenda noted, “I really can’t think of a time that I wasn’t connected to Hackley in some way. I’ve been volunteering since I graduated. … It feels good to be helpful to those who are still there. I have really fond memories of teachers who saw my potential and helped me reach it. I stay connected because I’m appreciative of that and because it’s important to come back and let the students see our faces and know that we care. Hackley doesn’t end after you graduate. There’s a whole world of Hackleyites who are doing amazing things, and we all support each other.”
The ways in which alumni give back to the Hilltop are a testament to the enduring impact of education and the power of community. By giving back in whatever way they can, they help to shape the future. As Fred reminded me, “Bill Clinton said there are three things we should do in life: 1. Leave things in a better place than we found them; 2. Working together we can get more done than working alone; and 3. We have more things in common than separate us. And I think those three things are true. If you think about those on a regular basis, you know what…this will be a better place for all of us to live.” Alumni may have graduated from the School, but their enduring support elevates Hackley’s legacy every day.
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This story first appeared in the Hackley Review Summer 2023 edition. To see the full digital issue, click here.
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