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Launching Legacies

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Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball

written by Sara Exner Whittaker ’00 photography by Slade Blanchard

Jaime Glas '06 visits with UHS student Ellie Russo '20.

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Cub connections tend to stand the test of time; Jaime Glas (’06) and Ellie Russo (’20) are proof that they are also magnetic. Even with a nearly 15-year split in graduation years, when Jaime and Ellie met, they effortlessly swapped stories of common experiences at U-High and preparing for life beyond its halls. The two Cubs, who are featured in the school’s Launching Legacies 2020 Annual Appeal, credit U-High with preparing them to feel confident in pursuing their dreams.

“I loved every experience,” shared Jaime. “U-High itself is a legacy.”

Ellie agreed, sharing that she transferred in ninth grade because she was attracted by the school’s reputation and the diversity of experiences offered. She quickly found her place. “I came here knowing one person, and now I can name everyone in my grade. I’m nervous to go to college without them. I don’t see myself not keeping in touch with them.”

Jaime affirmed this will likely be the case, and will extend beyond Ellie’s classmates. “Anytime you meet someone who went to U-High, it’s so exciting, and somewhere, you can find a connection.”

Jaime remembers starting college feeling like Ellie does, unsure where her path would take her. As a petroleum engineering student participating in an internship, she was handed a pair of oversized coveralls that were clearly not designed with women in mind. She knew she could do better, remembering, “Businesses are born from a need. I thought, ‘No one else is going to make them. I’ll do it.’”

Soon, HauteWork was born. After years of perfecting her model while working throughout the country as a petroleum engineer, Jaime sold HauteWork last summer to National Safety Apparel. She stayed on as head of business development for women’s flame resistant clothing and moved back home to Baton Rouge. She also co-owns New Orleans-based Sparkle City, which custom-designs school and holiday spirit apparel.

The designs have quickly become fan favorites. In fact, Ellie owns a Sparkle City design but didn’t realize it was Jaime’s company, expressing awe at the entrepreneur’s confidence and success. “That’s like a dream,” Ellie said of Jaime’s career working fulltime in the clothing industry. Yet, with graduation approaching, she’s also considering her many other areas of interest.

“When I was in your position, I was feeling just like you,” Jaime reassured Ellie, adding that the strong academic foundation she developed at U-High enabled her to explore her interests. “I had tested out of enough hours that I felt like I wasn’t going to be behind as a freshman if I took classes I was just interested in.”

Ellie has gotten a jump on such exploration by participating in summer programs at New York University and Columbia University. And, as Jaime did, Ellie has taken advantage of the opportunity to travel on school trips. Most memorable has been a National Honor Society conference in Chicago. She shared, “I feel like traveling, as a whole, helps you become more independent.”

Jaime remembered a similarly defining trip to Mexico through the IB Spanish program. “That was where I fell in love with traveling. I still tell people about that trip.”

In reflecting on the impact of the unique experiences afforded to them by U-High, both Ellie and Jaime carry feelings of deep appreciation. For Jaime, attending U-High was the start of her own legacy because it prepared her to succeed as an entrepreneur. “I never felt like I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do … There are rarely alumni from U-High who don’t make something of themselves. It may not be highly visible, but you see people you were in school with, you see people coming after you. It’s motivating.”

It’s these Cub connections that empower U-High students to find their paths and, in turn, what Jaime describes as “the best, most settling feeling” when they decide how to focus their careers.

For both Jaime and Ellie, this is the power of the Annual Appeal and its ability to launch legacies by providing exceptional experiences. “You’re building the future,” explained Ellie of the impact of Annual Appeal gifts, citing herself and her classmates as examples that “what you invest in is going to grow.”

“You’ve protected this sacred thing,” Jaime added. “It’s diversity of people, thought, cultures, perspectives. All of it. Having that shapes you.”

written by Sara Exner Whittaker ’00 photography by Slade Blanchard

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