Using data to affect social change Moniola interned for Avivar Capital, a firm that focuses on impact investing and promoting societal change through finance. She shared, “I’ve always been fascinated by finance and business, and when I learned that Avivar Capital focuses on promoting inclusion through financial markets, I was thrilled at the prospect.” Moniola contributed to many projects including promoting diversity in the finance world, the intersection of diversity and finance, and conducting research about the transparency between banks and minority-owned businesses. She did such a fantastic job as Avivar’s first-ever high school intern that they invited her to stay on as a summer analyst. “The whole experience was fantastic,” Moniola reflected. “It provided me with more insight into a facet of business that I previously had no experience with. I was able to learn about finance through a lens other than Wall Street, particularly regarding bringing about change in the field.”
ENTREPRENEURSHIP | LINDSAY P. ’23
Helping small businesses Lindsay spent her junior year Capitol Hill placement interning for the Committee on Small Business. She chose this particular placement due to her passion for entrepreneurship and desire to help small businesses. Over the course of her internship, Lindsay helped her supervisor organize a hearing, contributing questions for representatives and witness interviews. “The Committee is important to me as an entrepreneur because the members are responsible for passing legislation aimed to help small businesses,” Lindsay noted. “The pandemic has caused an increase in demand for government funding, so the committee’s role is as crucial as ever. My internship solidified my desire to be an entrepreneur in the future.”
STEM | SEVGINAZ G. ’23
Programming an app that can map the moon Sevginaz (“Sev”) was part of a team that competed in an app development challenge hosted by NASA. The challenge was to create an app that was able to map the south pole of the moon based on coordinates provided. The team was one of the top teams in the entire competition. The top ten teams, including Sev’s team, attended a final event and earned awards. During the development phase of the competition, teams consulted with NASA scientists and NASA leadership. “I learned so much throughout this entire process,” Sev stated. “I learned the Python coding language as well as GitHub and PyCharm. I also learned about the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone. At first I thought I was too inexperienced, but I quickly learned that I could do a lot more than I expected and I'm proud of that.”
MADEIRA TODAY
Madeira girls have always embraced the bold mission of launching
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women who change the world. Passions are varied and each person contributes in a unique way. While changing the world holds different meanings depending upon one’s perspective, one thing is clear: It’s safe to say that the world is in good hands with Madeira students.
Enhancing Madeira’s Community Meet the newest members of the Administrative Team, working with the current leadership to continue enhancing the culture of Madeira. Kelli Perkins, Madeira’s Dean of Student Life and Culture is working on behalf of the students and adults to build community and foster positive relationships throughout the School. Our new Chief Advancement Officer Emily Kasof is charged with authentic engagement of all constituencies in building Madeira’s culture of philanthropy.
Kelli Perkins Dean of Student Life and Culture “The joy the students have is the most exciting thing about Madeira. Our students enjoy learning, being with each other, being with the adults, and just being here,” shares Madeira’s Dean of Student Life and Culture Kelli Perkins. “Their joy is contagious!” A major initiative that Kelli, a boarding school alumna and doctoral candidate focusing on equity and inclusion issues in schools and the workplace, is implementing is a commitment to restorative practices as our approach to building culture and community. Restorative practices are techniques that allow us to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within Madeira. Centered around conversations, these strategies support healthy relationships between students and educators as well as resolve conflict and address the needs of a community in holistic ways. She is also continuing to help develop the intercultural competence of Madeira’s adult community, centering on inclusion and equity. In thinking about her first few months at Madeira, Kelli notes, “What inspires me most about Madeira is how outspoken our students are. They are not afraid to use their voices and to challenge systems. They really are going to change the world!”
Emily Kasof Chief Advancement Officer Among her top priorities, Emily is working to ensure that the entire Madeira community feels seen, heard, and appreciated. To make that happen, the Advancement team is focusing on assessing the needs of the department and volunteers, strengthening relationships between Madeira and all members of the community, as well as making sure that Madeira’s operations align with best practices. From her earliest glimpses of Madeira, Emily shares, “I fell in love with Madeira’s mission and vision to launch women who change the world and to lead innovation in girls’ education. Madeira is clearly a place of passion and caring.” From the start of her career at New York City Ballet to her most recent position as Chief Advancement Officer at The Dalton School in New York, Emily has always prioritized the organization’s mission and relationships, noting that, “Best practices and processes continue to evolve, but the central components of mission and people remain constant.”
WHY WERE DEPARTMENT NAMES CHANGED? The shift in names reflects the changing focus and function of each group. Student Life and Culture (formerly “Dean of Students”): The new name reflects the increased importance that culture-building plays within the Madeira community, where inclusion and equity are fundamental to what we do. By centering the student voice, we maintain the joy among our students. Advancement (formerly “Development”): The term “development” is often associated with a fundraising focus, and at Madeira we aim to do more. We have shifted to the broader “Advancement” term to reflect our expanded lens. Beyond fundraising for the annual fund and future campaigns, the team will also focus on strengthening relations with alumnae, parents, and friends, leveraging data, and collaboratively supporting the School’s mission.
MADEIRA TODAY WINTER 2022
ADVOCACY | MONIOLA O. ’22
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