Cross-Country Connections

International (57)

Number of Alumni

<10 <25 <50 <100 <200 <500 >1000

OUT OF STATE ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

Our endless learning journeys are trodden on shared paths. Those paths, after graduating from Collegiate School, often take us to new places that lead to new discoveries. Yet even as our alumni travel far beyond North Mooreland Road, many of them remain devoted to the prosperity of the Cougar community. The seven out-of-state alumni serving on Collegiate’s Alumni Board are excellent examples of our alumni’s commitment to elevating the educational experiences of our students and sustaining the responsible and compassionate citizenship of the School.

ELISABETH ARNOLD WEISS ’86

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Life is made vibrant by the people you share it with. This is only one of the many lessons that Elisabeth Arnold Weiss ’86 learned during her time at Collegiate School, but it is the one she tries to integrate into her work on the Alumni Board. “Life is all about people and personalities,” she says. “And our out-of-town alumni bring a diverse array of experiences, perspectives and professions that enrich Collegiate’s educational program.” A professor of technical communication practice at the University of Southern California, Weiss says the teachers she looked up to at Collegiate helped develop her own approach to teaching. “I learned to be a professional at Collegiate,” she says. “The education I received was worth a lot. It has helped me get into college, find jobs and discover networking opportunities.” Those intangibles are what compel her to help grow the next generation of leaders at Collegiate. “I feel invested in Collegiate and its success,” she says. “And I love being able to give back to the School that, through its top-quality education and unparalleled character development, helped shape me into who I am today.” Ultimately, though, the lifelong connections are what excite her. And, even states away from North Mooreland Road, Weiss is still meeting Cougars. “Many relationships that started at Collegiate were fostered later,” she explains. “Ellen Bonbright and I, for example, have the most amazing continuity to our friendship, and I connected with Mike Henry when we were both living in LA. I’ve always thought of Collegiate as a big family — with a bunch of different people of different generations — and it’s wonderful to continue developing relationships.”

HARRY WILSON ’01

LOUISVILLE, KY.

Sometimes, to be a leader, you must first be inspired to lead. Inspiration for Harry Wilson ’01 came in the form of the Collegiate School community. “I learned a lot about leadership when I was at Collegiate,” he says. “You have to zig when others zag, remain nimble when agility is required and share a vision so clear that others can’t help but follow. This is a foundation I learned while on campus on North Mooreland Road.” As one of four co-founders and the president of the organization Limitless Minds, a company based out of Seattle, Wash., Wilson now shepherds countless people towards intellectual and personal growth. That sustained commitment to meeting high standards of character and the warm embrace of each individual that Collegiate gave Wilson is now being given to the broader world. “My belief in the power of mindset and the importance of building adversity tolerance as a competitive advantage is quite in sync with my experience built at Collegiate,” he says. Part of that leadership is still focused on Collegiate, where Wilson first learned of responsible and compassionate citizenship. “I’m on the Alumni Board to give back to a community that invested in me for a better part of a decade,” he says. “I believe in the School, the community and the culture. Relationships and community are everything. I just want to be a part of it.”

AMRIK SINGH SAHNI ’06

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

At the conclusion of every class Amrik Singh Sahni ’06 (positioned right in photograph) attended at Collegiate School, he would leave the room only after thanking his teacher. He was grateful for their dedication to his growth. But he and his classmates knew it wasn’t just the teachers that contributed to the stimulating learning environment; Sahni, along with his classmates, thanked the custodians, technicians, bus drivers — everyone. It’s a practice he continues to this day, because he knows, as Collegiate taught him, that a community develops its character through respect. “In my daily life, whether it is leaving an office or a store or someone’s home, I remember to thank them for their time,” he says. “I learned the lesson of respecting others and their time at Collegiate.” Another demonstration of that gratitude takes the form of Sahni’s work on the Alumni Board. “Collegiate taught me the difference between the lecture and the lesson,” he explains, “and I just think, out of sheer gratitude to the School, I want to offer my extra time, just as our teachers and coaches did for us.” The Alumni Board is also a way to engage more directly with the current life at the School. “I joined the Alumni Board because I like to keep engaged with other alumni and current students, and I feel like I bring a very unique perspective to the role.”

GRAHAM MANDL ’08

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

When Graham Mandl ’08 first stepped through Collegiate’s doors, opportunities for personal growth opened up. He began to discover values that he would carry with him going forward, and he met people who share those values. “Collegiate has always emphasized the importance of respect, problem solving and teamwork,” he says. “And those have served as the foundation of my career.” Although Mandl now works in New York as Senior Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, he still feels deeply connected to the Collegiate community. This bond stays intact despite distance, and the enduring relationships with both teachers and peers are what make a Collegiate education so special. “Many of my friendships were formed at Collegiate,” he explains. “Despite living all across the country, my cohort continues to share a bond and find ways to connect.” The work of the Alumni Board, he says, solidifies those connections through reunions and other gatherings. “I have remained close with many of my teachers and coaches at Collegiate,” he says. “I think this is one of the many reasons Collegiate is so special.” Collegiate, Mandl says, is more than just a school. Sure, the energetic curiosity and lifelong friendships are sparked on campus, but those qualities endure after graduation. “Collegiate is a series of relationships that extend far beyond the Richmond footprint.”

LUKE WALKER ’12

ATLANTA, GA.

Luke Walker ’12 has always had athletic aspirations. From the time he joined the Collegiate School community in 1999 as a Kindergartner, Walker, like so many young children, wanted to be a professional athlete. With resilience and great effort, the dream materialized — albeit in a slightly different form. Working as a sales representative for the PGA TOUR, Walker credits the coaches he had at Collegiate for instilling in him a strong character. The compassion, respect and honor that coaches such as Alex Peavey taught him are traits, he says, that have allowed him to thrive in his professional life. “Alex Peavey taught so many people the right way to treat their peers — both in and out of athletics,” Walker says. “I’ve never been around somebody that exemplifies what it means to be a person of honor and dignity in every aspect of one’s life more than Coach Peavey.” This same enthusiasm for Collegiate’s teachers gives Walker a sense of duty in his role on the Alumni Board. It’s a position he’s taken on, he says, because of the necessity to remain part of a community that helped him grow during a pivotal time in his life. “For me, it’s the idea of giving back and feeling in touch with a place that quite literally instilled countless characteristics and personality traits in me throughout my childhood. That seems to me really important.”

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

In December, when Collegiate School livestreamed the Pageant for those unable to attend in person, Helen Roddey ’16 was at work in New York. But she still attended the event virtually. Those traditions, she says, remain special to her. The traditions, the teachers, the coaches, the friendships — Roddey doesn’t take any of it for granted, and she wants to ensure the current students have those same fruitful opportunities. “I just feel so lucky to have Collegiate mean so much to me,” she explains, “and with the Alumni Board I want to continue to be involved.” During her time on North Mooreland Road, Roddey, who now works in events for the NFL League Office, contributed to The Match and took a number of rigorous English and journalism classes. Her interest in storytelling and its ability to create a unified connection grew from her Collegiate education. “I figured I would want to end up working in media,” she says. “I always loved the meaningful impact that sports had on our Collegiate community. I feel like that was the beginning of my desire to work in sports.” The teachers who gave her those beginnings still remain close to her, too. “When I’m home, I love seeing my old teachers and coaches,” she says. “Collegiate is the type of community that allows you to feel like you can pick up right where you left off — no matter how far away you live. We are all really lucky to have that kind of community, and it’s kept up by finding ways to remain connected.”

VIRGINIA HARRIS ’16

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

“I think one thing that is really special about Collegiate is the lasting impact it has created,” Virginia Harris ’16 says. That lasting impact is cultivated from a number of different aspects at Collegiate School — the hands-on teaching, the athletics, the mentorship of countless educators — and all of it has contributed to Harris’s professional success. As an analyst at Deloitte Commercial Consulting, where she works to help businesses meet their net-zero CO2 emissions goals, Harris relies on the insightful intuition and ceaseless curiosity she developed at Collegiate. “Collegiate did a fantastic job of making me more curious about the way problems are solved and how I could make an impact,” she says. “I have brought that curious mindset with me to my current position.” The friendships have persisted, too. “Many of my most cherished friendships and valuable life experiences happened as a result of my time at Collegiate,” she explains. “Collegiate has invested not only in my learning in the classroom, but also in my ability to explore new cultures, give back to my community and learn how to be a team player.” Harris believes that the Alumni Board ensures the continuity of connections across generations of Cougars, creating a world-wide network. “While a ton of Cougars have returned to Richmond, I think it is important to recognize and represent the alumni members who are out of state and make sure that they remain connected,” she says. “It is important to me to continue to keep those bonds that we were so lucky to have created at Collegiate intact.”