Dear Head-Royce Alumni

This fall I was lucky enough to interview Rachel E. Skiffer, our new Head of School, for the alumni podcast Head-Royce Voices. From her history as a practicing lawyer to working in Admissions to heading a true startup of a school, the stories she shared show a lifelong commitment to the School’s tenets: scholarship, diversity and citizenship. Ms. Skiffer is uniquely positioned as an independent school alum and a Bay Area native to helm our alma mater.

When asked to put into words her first 125 days at the school and her hope for alumni, Ms. Skiffer described, “Every nook and cranny of this place brings a sense of joy. Not that every day is sunshine and lollipops, but I do take seriously my responsibility for creating an educational experience that will continue to prepare Head-Royce alums for whatever their path is.”

The desire to provide the resources and programming necessary for today’s world is echoed in the Alumni Council’s work this year. As outlined in the Alumni Council Strategic Plan, all Council programming is centered on belonging, equity, humility, significance and accountability. To that end, we are proud of a brand new program launched to connect students directly to the Alumni Council—the Student-Alumni Ambassador Team. Juniors and seniors applied to join the team, ready to share firsthand accounts of life at Head-Royce today. At the first two meetings of the year, they spoke directly with the council members, asking questions about the year’s programs and giving input into where more alumni involvement would be beneficial for students.

Opening up to a wider array of possible programs through these student-alumni conversations can only benefit our alumni community further. Ms. Skiffer shared a similar sentiment when asked about advice for her 18-year-old-self: “As you go forth into the next step of your journey, do what you love, find what you love…think more about what is possible beyond the little world you planned for.”

All of the alumni programming this year—from the holiday party to the panel around Diversity and Representation in Hollywood to our annual Adulting 101 program for students—focuses on learning from and celebrating the varied experiences of our alumni community. I look forward to seeing you at a future event to hear your stories!

In gratitude,