13 minute read
and Beyond
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Creating Opportunities
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ADAM SAVEN ’08
Access to an alumni network is one of the advantages of belonging to a college or university community. In today’s complex and interconnected world, leveraging connections and mentorship is important for career success. ADAM SAVEN ’08 co-founded PeopleGrove, a technology platform, to help strengthen the connections and communities in colleges and universities.
Founded in 2015, PeopleGrove helps institutions connect students and alumni with mentorship-focused opportunities, including personalized career connections, internship/job listings and career readiness resources. Stanford University, Wellesley College and Johns Hopkins University are among more than 350 institutions worldwide that utilize PeopleGrove.
In 2020, PeopleGrove earned two prestigious accolades. Saven and co-founder Reilly Davis were celebrated as top entrepreneurs on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Later in the year, the company earned the No. 112 spot on the 2020 Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list, recognizing the fastest-growing private companies in America.
“Most often, our university partners rely on their alumni community to be the resources that students and fellow alumni can connect with to improve their likelihood of getting a good job or making a career change,” says Saven. “Since the majority of jobs are never publicly posted, these networks are crucial for job seekers to discover and access opportunities. The lack of this social capital has been referred to as the ‘outsider problem’—something that we’ve worked to address with our 350-plus higher-ed partners.”
Higher-education institutions face increasing pressure to demonstrate their value proposition and ROI for their students. “That return is primarily defined as a good job,” shares Saven. “Higher ed has to visibly demonstrate its value and must do so by ensuring that students are confident in their employability and have a good job waiting for them at graduation.”
Saven is passionate about leveling the playing field for first-generation students and graduates who may not have an inherited network from parents or guardians. “Given how important social capital is to a student’s path of study and eventual career, it is crucial that first-generation students have immediate access to resources to help them catch up to the level of their peers,” says Saven.
Amid the pandemic, PeopleGrove launched a new, free software called Bridges in direct response “I personally feel very fortunate in the investments my parents made in my education at LJCDS and beyond. From these investments, I was fortunate to be exposed to career paths and possibilities that I would not have had access to otherwise.”
to the employment challenges caused by COVID-19. Bridges is a marketplace for alumni to offer students opportunities to fulfill short-term projects, in turn allowing students to gain work experience.
“Students and recent graduates were faced with postponed or canceled internships and even rescinded full-time employment offers,” Saven shares. “For students, this meant that many lost the opportunity to gain crucial, real-world experience that proves to be the cornerstone of their résumés as they graduate. For recent graduates, it meant the loss of income and the delayed start of careers.”
At the core of what it does, PeopleGrove is investing in students—the future of the nation’s success. “I personally feel very fortunate in the investments my parents made in my education at LJCDS and beyond,” says Saven. “From these investments, I was fortunate to be exposed to career paths and possibilities that I would not have had access to otherwise.
I wanted to pay it forward and ensure all students and young people regardless of their background— who your parents are or where you’re born—have access to the mentors and social capital needed to unlock opportunity. This remains our mission today.”
—TIFFANY TRUONG
Adam Saven ’08 is the co-founder and CEO of PeopleGrove, a technology platform that offers college and university students and alumni access to virtual mentorship and career opportunities. Founded in 2015, the company was included on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies.
PEOPLEGROVE.COM
DOCUMENTARY
16 and Recovering
BRANDON BURG ’17
One in seven young adults needs treatment for addiction. Northshore Recovery High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts, specializes in supporting teens who are struggling to recover from drug and alcohol addiction while earning a high school diploma. For nearly four years, BRANDON BURG ’17 has been documenting the journey of the faculty and nine students at the school. That story, 16 and Recovering, premiered as a four-part documentary series on MTV in September 2020.
Anontraditional alternative school, Northshore Recovery High offers hope and a comprehensive program to meet the academic, recovery and mental health needs of students with substance use disorder. In 2017, Burg began filming the story alongside documentary filmmaker and director Steve Liss and a small team before it was pitched to MTV and other networks.
Burg witnessed the triumphs, heartbreaks and firsthand challenges that came with recovery. “These kids come from all different backgrounds,” says Burg. “Some are really poor and living alone, and others come from very wealthy families. Addiction isn’t just for one type of person. It affects everybody, and I’ve seen how it changes lives. It destroys families, and it destroys their own lives. It’s very important that they’re getting the help they need.”
Northshore Recovery High provides a safe space for rehabilitation with a relapse policy, restorative practices, drug testing, group and individual counseling, and small class sizes. “These kids would go to school on their worst days because they know that’s where they are safe,” shares Burg. “They know it’s the place that they will get the help they need.”
While MTV is known for its reality shows, it was critical for the creative team to protect the integrity of the story and the dignity of its constituents. Burg and the team maintained creative control to ensure that the documentary didn’t sensationalize and dramatize the real-life challenges of substance abuse.
“You will not see them doing drugs in the documentary,” shares Burg. “We chose to keep that out because that’s not what we wanted to show. It’s about the recovery process and the effects of drugs. We wanted to show that if you’re struggling, get help. You’re not in this alone. Even though it might suck at this point, once you get the help, it’s possible to turn your life around.”
As the cinematographer and production assistant, Burg spent several years dedicated to this passion project while a student at Endicott College. “This was our life for the past four years,” says Burg. “Even when we weren’t working, it was always on our minds.”
Now Burg has his sights set on graduating in 2021 with a bachelor’s in photography. He hopes to continue pursuing both filmmaking and photography. —TIFFANY TRUONG
Brandon Burg ’17 is a photographer and filmmaker. His recent MTV documentary series raises awareness about the triumphs and challenges of students recovering from substance abuse.
BRANDONBURGMEDIA.COM
ART
Meeting a Need
MILES SAGER ’13
MILES SAGER ’13 has always believed in the power of art to engage, inform and, potentially, transform. Art, particularly art that conveys a personal experience with current events, provides a window into the creator’s life and soul. This belief led Sager to co-found Friends in Need, a zine by and for millennials that uses artwork to highlight the issues confronting their generation—and the world.
Ithink the news is easy to tune out or turn away from; it can be background noise,” says Sager. “Art can effect change on people “ their work published.” Each edition of the zine starts with an open prompt about a theme, such as individuality or romance; Sager’s are still being targeted. And this is not just a 2020 issue; it’s been going on for hundreds of years and has become so deeply rooted in the psyche of Black because they see work created by artist friends provide paintings, photos, America that a young child is automatisomeone who has been impacted by writings, etc., representing their cally afraid of a police car.” past experiences or recent events. thoughts on that theme. As editor-in- Friends in Need may be a small
With artwork, you do not just hear the chief, Sager curates the submissions platform, but for Sager, his partner facts; you witness what the artist is and also contributes work of his own. and their fellow contributors, it thinking and feeling. People connect A particularly personal theme for provides a big return. “This is our with that on a deeper level, and it Sager resulted in a special issue of the truth. Putting art out there is as real might even change their opinion on zine entitled “Black,” which began as and raw as you can be. We just want an issue or lead them to action.” a reflection on Sager’s thoughts and our work to be seen and our voices to A documentary film producer experiences as a multiracial (Jewish be heard.” says Sager. “I think that art by trade, Sager co-founded his zine and Creole) man in America. In addi- and all creative endeavors at this time (a self-published, non-commercial tion to powerful visual artwork, the are really important, especially with printwork that is typically produced Black issue contains a reflection from social distancing and quarantine. Any in small batches) in early 2020 with Sager on a video he saw that spoke medium that allows you to reach out his partner, Olivia, when they were volumes to him about the systemic and connect to people in a meaningful both between jobs. The initial intent trauma of racism. In the video, a young way is very gratifying.” was not only to find an outlet for their boy of about 7 years old is innocently creative energy but also to provide shooting baskets by himself until he their fellow artist friends with a sees a police car coming down the platform for their work. “For most road, whereupon he runs and hides. artists, it is very difficult to get their “That video really touched home for work seen,” explains Sager. “Someone me because the little boy playing else has to decide to give you a job or basketball in his driveway is exactly a place to showcase your work. With what I would be doing at that age,” says
Friends in Need, our mission is to Sager. “That child should have nothing empower other artists, to find an audi- to worry about in that situation; he’s ence for their work, as well as to speak just being himself. But we’ve seen on the issues they are facing. It’s been so many cases in the national news great validation for our artists to see where people just being themselves
—MICHELLE CHOATE
Miles Sager ’13 is the cocreator of Friends in Need, a collection of poems, stories, articles and art created by artists born between 1981 and 1996. He is also an artist and documentary filmmaker and the creative director of TSG Films of The Sager Group.
FRIENDSINNEEDZINE.COM/BLACK
Artwork credits: top left, @meghancullen; top right, @myman_miles; bottom right, @oliviasimonton; bottom left, @myownsundays
PODCAST
Power Houses
LAUREN GUTTMAN RAVITZ ’96
Lauren Guttman Ravitz ’96 is the host of Go Big AND Go Home, a podcast that showcases how women have achieved career success and how their home contributes to whom and where they are now. As a residential real estate agent, Ravitz recognizes that home means different things to different people.
“My goal is for listeners to think about how their home or home life has set them up for success,” Ravitz shares. “Has it held them back? Does your home support you and your career, and if so, in what ways? How can it be better? When I started this podcast, COVID-19 was never something on the horizon, and now that we’ve been hunkered down at home for so long, the narrative of the workplace has forever changed for some.”
Launched in April 2020, Go Big AND Go Home has interviewed inspiring women such as the managing director of global media and entertainment for Twitter, an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter, a celebrity florist and numerous entrepreneurs. One business owner Ravitz interviewed was LJCDS alumna Felicia Stanger Alexander ’93, co-founder of BoxUnion, a brand offering in-studio and online group boxing classes. Another fellow Torrey, Jennifer McCann Morris ’96, co-founder of Podcast Duo Media, is the podcast producer.
Ravitz is a real estate agent for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Ranking at no. 2 of all agents in the Brentwood office and the top half of the 1 percent of all agents nationwide at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Ravitz is a Chairman’s Circle Platinum Award recipient. She belongs to both the National Association of Realtors and the Beverly Hills/Greater L.A. Association of Realtors.
—TIFFANY TRUONG
Lauren Guttman Ravitz ’96 is a luxury real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. She is ranked no. 2 of all agents in the Brentwood office and the top half of the 1 percent of all agents nationwide at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.
LAURENRAVITZ.COM
2020–2021 ALUMNI COUNCIL
Nikki McIntyre Blackman ’97 Noah Blake ’89 Karen Brecka Borowick ’78
Sally Peters Davidson ’68 Bruce Fayman ’77 P’15 ’17 ’19 Dan Greene ’94
John Hansbrough ’08 Maya Hood ’12 Ethan Krant ’14
Lindsey Thompson McGrath ’96 John Meanley ’67 Chase Mertz ’11
Jodi Morris ’10 John Tessmer ’85 Brandon Wachs ’14
VOLUNTEER
Reinstituting the Alumni Council
As ljcds looks toward its centennial in 2026 and a bright future, alumni play a vital role in supporting the Torrey community and the school’s mission to prepare individuals for a lifetime of intellectual exploration, personal growth and social responsibility. The newly reestablished LJCDS Alumni Council acts as a two-way advocate—for our alumni community and for the school’s mission, programs and initiatives. The group serves as a liaison between the school and the alumni body, with the core mission to enhance and advance alumni programming, engagement and philanthropy initiatives.
LJCDS is proud to introduce 15 alumni volunteers who span all decades and perspectives to represent the alumni community and serve their alma mater. We extend our deepest gratitude to these remarkable alumni for their dedication to and support of LJCDS. —KATIE SIGETI ’06
Brandon Wachs ’14
Learn more about becoming involved in the Alumni Council, or nominate alumni for consideration, by emailing Katie Sigeti ’06, philanthropy manager of alumni programs, at ksigeti@ljcds.org.
