OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

HANNAH EPSTEIN’08

Sometimes, we are presented with a perfect opportunity to fuse our hobbies and interests into one meaningful experience. For Hannah Epstein ’08, that time came when she was hired as the National Football League’s (NFL) first female staff cinematographer, blending her lifelong love of sports with her passion for the visual arts.

Thanks to her parents, Epstein was introduced to athletics and the arts at an early age. “I’m a true mix of genetics,” she shared. “My dad got me faster and stronger, while my mom encouraged me to pursue all avenues of music, art and photography. My dad put a basketball in my hand in elementary school and my mom introduced me to the piano.”

At PDS, Epstein was encouraged to continue to pursue both of her interests.

“It’s what drew me to the school. While I was playing varsity basketball and lacrosse for all four years in the Upper School, I was also taking photography classes,” she said.

Of course, finding the right balance between responsibilities, passions and hobbies took some practice. Luckily for Epstein, she found support and encouragement in the faculty and coaches surrounding her.

“I was so fortunate to have Eileen HohmuthLemonick or ‘Mrs. H’ as we called her, as a teacher,” Epstein shared. “We never took a photograph in any automatic mode. We learned how to use our tools fully and properly, and we learned through failures and experimentation. She made our eyes aware of light, shadows, different qualities of light, how it shaped a face and how the filters in an enlarger affected the contrast of that light in our print. Many of these principles have become second nature at this point in my career, but I use the knowledge every single day,” she said.

As for athletics, Epstein has the legendary Jill Thomas to thank for the foundational skills and lessons she learned that would later have such a positive impact on her life.

“Ms. Thomas was my lacrosse coach for four years at PDS, and she had a profound impact on my life and career, both athletically and professionally. Having played for her, under her coaching tenacity, demand for physical conditioning and work ethic, I was prepared to play at the collegiate level.”

Epstein attended Middlebury College where she played four years of varsity NCAA lacrosse and majored in film. After graduating in 2012, she filled various positions within the NFL Films camera department. During seasonal employment, Hannah had the opportunity to play, coach, and film lacrosse overseas in Israel. In 2016 she was hired full time as NFL Films’ first female staff cinematographer, and now works as the Director of Photography for various shows airing across a variety of networks and platforms.

Looking back, Epstein can’t help but feel inspired by her time at PDS.

“My PDS experience was wonderful,” she reflected. “I have a better perspective now to realize that most people aren’t lucky enough to go to a school like PDS — a place where students have the opportunity to discover a passion at such a young age. It’s incredible just how much my athletic career and photographic journey at PDS prepared me for my job at NFL Films, which is the perfect marriage of sport and art.”

2012

Rachel Maddox rachelhmaddox@gmail.com

Annie Nyce Questell annienyce@gmail.com

Peter Powers peterfpowers@gmail.com

Annie Nyce Questell reported that she and her husband and kids are “enjoying their new home in coastal North Carolina. Annie looks forward to getting back into the studio and teaching ballet.”

2013

Leah Falcon lgfalcon04917@gmail.com

Robert Madani robert.s.madani@gmail.com

2014

Rory Finnegan ref8af@virginia.edu

Mary Travers marygrtravers@gmail.com

Jessica Toltzis played the role of Angela in episodes four and six in Your Honor on Showtime this past February.

2015

Grace Lee gracelee6666@gmail.com

Caroline Lippman crlippman@gmail.com

2016

Kathryn Cammarano camm1217@aol.com

Helen Healey helen.healey97@gmail.com

Peter Klein pwklein3@gmail.com

2017

Abigail Atkeson abigail.atkeson@gmail.com

Tyler Birch tbflyers@gmail.com

2018

Hallie Hoffman halliebryn@gmail.com

2019

Amon DeVane amond1234567@gmail.com

Raina Kasera raina.kasera@gmail.com

2020

To submit news or volunteer as class secretary, please email classnotes@pds.org.

2021

To submit news or volunteer as class secretary, please email classnotes@pds.org.

2022

Milan Shah milanushah1@gmail.com