AN INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN & MAIA
GETTING TO KNOW. . . Megan Lum Mehalko ’83, Chair, Laurel School Board of Trustees, and Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97, President, Laurel School Alumnae Association, who started their three-year terms this summer and who were both members of the Green Team!
Megan (MM) entered Laurel in the Seventh Grade, completed her undergraduate degree at Bucknell University and earned her JD from Case Western Reserve University. She is the Co-Chair, Corporate and Securities Practice Group at Benesch, where she advises public companies on corporate governance issues and securities law issues and where she is the sole woman on the firm’s executive committee. Megan served a term on the Alumnae Board, including co-chairing Alumnae Weekend, before joining the Board of Trustees in 2018. There she served most recently as the Vice Chair. Reflecting on the difference between her own Laurel days and those of her daughter, Kristen, Class of 2015, Megan says, “I think STEM was a much more significant component of Kristen’s Laurel education than mine. Plus, she had the Butler Campus and all of the amazing programming that it provides. That said, the Laurel traditions continue and we both cherish many of them together!”
Maia (MR) entered Laurel in the Ninth Grade, attended Ohio Northern University, graduated from Wilberforce
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University and received her master’s in speech language pathology from Cleveland State University. She is a speech-language pathologist for Arbor Rehabilitation and Healthcare Services. Maia was in the middle of her second consecutive term on the Alumnae Board, co-chairing Alumnae Weekend four times, when invited to serve as its next President. She also recently completed two years as the President of the Laurel School Parents Association. The mother of two current Laurel students—Sidney ’22 and Sophie ’25— she can often be found cheering on her girls on the volleyball court. Maia notes, “While most Laurel traditions remain the same [from her own Laurel days], and the academic rigor continues to be topnotch, my girls have so many more opportunities than I did to reinforce their competency of a subject through experiential learning.” Favorite class at Laurel and why? MM —I had many favorite classes and teachers. I loved French class with Madame André!
MR —I loved my Sculpture class. Creating art through clay was relaxing, fun, and a welcome break from my other academic demands. Most surprising thing you learned about yourself/or skill that you developed at Laurel that you have carried with you ever since? MM —Laurel encouraged us to aspire to great things and I learned that I was surprisingly ambitious. I developed a determination to achieve success in my future career.
MR —Prior to attending Laurel I was extremely shy. However, at Laurel I found my voice and I developed the confidence to assert myself, and to express my opinions with respect for others. Proudest Laurel moment?
MM —Definitely the day my daughter graduated from Laurel. One of my favorite pictures is the two of us at her graduation showing off our Laurel rings.
MR —I have many proud Laurel moments! As a student, one of my proudest moments was singing a duet of “Silent Night” in German at the
