Be a Chance Hunter

“What will you do with your chance that comes this year, this month, this week, tomorrow, today?” asked Delvin Dinkins, head of school, during SCH Academy’s 2022 Convocation. He challenged students to explore the chances they encounter, embrace the unfamiliar, and let go of fear. Alumni often talk about how they built resilience at CHA, Springside, and SCH; they felt nurtured and ready to take chances when they left campus. Here, they talk about a chance they are proud of and how it changed their lives or perspective.

Alexa Rhodes '22

Honors student in Sports Administration and Entrepreneurship

Alexa Rhodes ’22 took a chance on working solo on a project-turned-business to help the unhoused.

In the second semester of my sophomore year, I was given the chance to create a business through the school’s Capstone Program. As someone incredibly interested in community service, there was never any doubt that I was going to start a nonprofit organization. Although I knew what kind of business I wanted to create, I was hesitant to dive into the CEL process alone.

At the beginning of my time in the Capstone program, I had communicated with upperclassmen and each said that completing the class in a group would be much easier than individually. While the idea of working with others did interest me at first, I realized that no one else wanted to start a program for those experiencing homelessness. This forced me to either join a different project that I was not interested in or create the business myself. I soon realized that deciding to work alone was more beneficial than working with a team of peers. Despite being nervous that I was going to be in over my head, I dedicated my time and energy to the class and my business.

I will continue to take risks and put myself out there because the payoff is always greater when you push outside your comfort zone!

At the time I had no way of knowing this moment would be a catalyst in the trajectory of my career path. Creating H.E.L.P.I.N.G. The Homeless Backpacks has opened doors for me that I never knew existed. I won a global business competition; it got me recognized by my state’s government; it helped me secure my dream job in sports; it got me into my first choice of college. However, the greatest takeaway from my business was realizing the career path I wanted to go down. It is clear to me now that I want to work in social responsibility to continue giving back to the community. I have learned that taking chances will lead to more opportunities and life lessons. I will continue to take risks and put myself out there because the payoff is always greater when you push outside your comfort zone!

Frank Jackson ’14

Writer/Speaker in Well-Being/DEI, The Pearl Effect

Frank Jackson ’14 took a chance on a career in writing and speaking.

Taking chances has been a constant in my life. It’s a lesson I learned early as a result of loss. Losing my mother and eventually my father. It is in their absence that I gained the strength to take a chance. Most recently, I decided to take a chance by pursuing an entrepreneurial career in writing and speaking.

For any chance takers, lean on the community that makes it possible.

As I work on my books, I speak on my research: The Pearl Effect. In my work, I get to teach others about well-being and how it applies to their lives. Each day, my perspective is challenged as I push to inspire and create impact. My hope is to illuminate the innate ability within us all by spreading the tools of flourishing. I focus on the black community as a reflection of myself, my own history, and my own risk to choose well-being. If I rolled up my jeans just above my calf, you’d see a portrait of my parents. They serve as a reminder to me to continue to take chances. Their silent guidance softens my path. For any chance takers, lean on the community that makes it possible.

David Cantor '77

Founder Responsible Policies for Animals (RPA)

David Cantor ’77 took a chance on leaving teaching for animal advocacy.

In 1989, I left university English teaching after six years to become an administrative assistant at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), never having worked as an animal advocate before and knowing little about it. I soon moved to research and investigations, later worked for several other animal organizations, read constantly in related matters, and in 2002 founded Responsible Policies for Animals, which is pioneering “total animal advocacy,” a term I recently coined.

If not for a tiny old-style, half-inch, column-wide, classified "want ad" in The Washington Post for a job I applied for at PETA, I might not ever have found what turned out to be a kind of work I was completely suited for. It enabled me to lead a fulfilling life to a degree that was unlikely in university teaching, even though I was a good and much-appreciated teacher, or in any of the other jobs I applied for at the time. Ironically, all of my experience in teaching, writing, and scholarship that had brought me to university English teaching proved invaluable in animal advocacy and in developing a new and original animaladvocacy paradigm. This paradigm is based on a large extent on precise word usage and reclaiming words that were "stolen" in Orwell's sense in The Politics of the English Language.

Meredith Spann '13

Co-founder & CEO Steggy's Henleys

Meredith Spann ’13 took a chance on her COVID project: building a men’s apparel brand.

I grew up witnessing my dad create and lead his own companies. So, after graduating from Penn with a degree in biomedical engineering and spending five years working in pharmaceutical consulting, I was inspired by the example he set and took my own leap. Creating Steggy’s has been different from any other challenge I’ve confronted professionally, but it has also been the most fulfilling. I am building and leading a company now and carving out a space for women in the men’s apparel space, which is not a torch I bear lightly. And given the amount of time I’ve spent judging what my husband wears, creating Steggy’s seemed like a more productive use of my time and expertise.

I started Steggy’s as a passion project during COVID, but it soon became clear that we were onto something special. And after getting thrown headfirst into the world of clothing manufacturing and distribution, ordering and iterating, and crafting Steggy’s logo and branding, I couldn’t wait to share what we’d built.

The Very Rev. Hollinshead T. Knight ’52

Episcopal Priest, Retired

The Very Rev. Hollinshead T. Knight ’52 took a chance on leaving the U.S. Navy early to attend seminary.

It’s funny the way things fall into place sometimes. I had grown up in the Episcopal Church and as a kid had thought about becoming an Episcopal priest (along with being a train engineer), but I was leaning toward being a math teacher. I loved algebra! Percy Wales at CHA was my inspiration for that. At college (Yale) I attended church services and activities, but I never felt certain a career in the Church was for me. Singing in the Whiffenpoofs was much more appealing! After graduation, most of my classmates were set on their futures, to medical school or law school or business school. Having no better alternative, I joined the Navy and went to Officer Candidate School. I still had no definite idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up. One day I was talking to the chaplain on board the aircraft carrier I was on, a Methodist and a fine fellow. He said to me, “Lin, you keep coming back to this idea of ordained ministry, but say you aren’t really certain. And you want to be sure. Maybe the only way you’ll know if ordained ministry is for you is to get off your butt and do something about it.” (The Navy does have some colorful language!)

So I took a chance, got out of the Navy three months early, and went off to seminary. I was sure all the other students would be certain of why they were there and just what God wanted them to do. I’d be the only one with questions. Instead, I discovered that almost everyone in my class was just like me, seeing if this was the career for them. I was greatly relieved.

To be on the way is to be there.

I recently celebrated my 60th anniversary of ordination as an Episcopal priest, having served churches in ID, CA, HI, WY, OR, and about a dozen interim positions after I retired. I’m only 89 and still waiting for that voice in the middle of the night, but in the meantime, I’ll just keep on following where God leads me. There’s a banner I saw once that sums it up for me: “To be on the way is to be there.”