OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI AFFAIRS
PORTSMOUTH ABBEY SCHOOL IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT STEPHANIE GARCIA EARP ’02 HAS JOINED THE OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI AFFAIRS AS A SENIOR DEVELOPMENT OFFICER. STEPHANIE COMES TO US FROM PENNFIELD SCHOOL WHERE SHE SERVED AS THE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT FROM 2014. How did you end up at Portsmouth Abbey as a student? I first stepped foot on the Abbey’s campus in 1997 as an eighth grader in the midst of my high school application process. I had visited other high school campuses and assumed this visit would be similar to the others. I was wrong. It just so happened that on that day, a huge storm was hitting Aquidneck Island. I recall the wind and rain were so strong that they rendered our umbrellas useless and within ten minutes of my campus tour, I was completely soaked. In fact, I have a vivid memory of siting in the Manor House, waiting for my interview and desperately trying to wring out my clothes in the hopes of being a bit more presentable. Yet despite the awful weather, I immediately fell in love with the school. The students and faculty were so warm and inclusive, and there was something special about the school that made me feel right at home. Funny enough, it’s been almost twenty-five years since that day, and I felt that same feeling of returning home while on my recent tour of the campus.
fellow Ravens on the athletic fields, the everyday experience at the Abbey was rather spectacular. I believe your most recent Commencement speaker Kerry Robinson said it best when she reminded us that with every decade that has passed, you gain an increased appreciation of the gift received at the Abbey. I couldn’t agree more.
What are some of your fondest memories of your time at the Abbey?
What did you do upon graduating from the Abbey?
I have so many wonderful memories of my time at the Abbey that selecting just a few is difficult. One of the most incredible experiences of my life was being awarded the William Haney fellowship the summer of my Fifth-Form year. This granted me the opportunity to live aboard a sailboat in the Mediterranean Sea working along side marine biologists as we tagged and monitored the migration patterns of dolphins and whales. It was truly remarkable and I often wonder if the Haney family realizes the magnitude of their gift and its positive impact on my personal and professional life.
After leaving the Abbey, I went on to receive a BA from Bates College and then an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. It was during an internship in Business School that I found myself drawn to the world of nonprofits. The internship was with a nonprofit based out of Washington, D.C. dedicated to helping orphans in Haiti. The work was very fulfilling. After receiving my degree, I volunteered with local organizations addressing issues ranging from truancy reduction to ovarian cancer awareness. These experiences ultimately led me to pursue a career in the Advancement profession. I feel very fortunate to have chosen this field and love the work I do.
I’d also say that some of my fondest memories come from what we would have considered to be just our mundane daily life. Whether it was listening to Mr. Hobbins’ riveting impersonations of Winston Churchill, eating lunch with Father Paschal in the Stillman Dinning Hall, or cheering on my
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Your husband is an alumnus. How did you meet? Tom was a Sixth-Form student when I began at the Abbey. I first met him while ordering one of the Abbey’s famous
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
