LETTER FROM THE AAEC

Dear Fellow Alumni,

As the 2022-23 school year begins, we find ourselves feeling especially nostalgic for our alma mater. This fall marked our first in-person reunion since 2019 – providing everyone the chance to reconnect with classmates and faculty on the campus we once visited daily. Unsurprisingly, many of our community members were eager to gather with one another again, with a remarkable 800 alumni, families, faculty, and staff convening at Riverdale on October 22.

This year also represents the final of Dominic Randolph’s 17-year tenure as Head of School. We are thrilled to welcome Kari Ostrem – Riverdale’s seventh Head of School and the first woman to hold this role – and yet, it is difficult to imagine Riverdale without Dominic’s signature red socks walking the campus. There will undoubtedly be a variety of opportunities to celebrate his leadership and say goodbye throughout the year, as well as to introduce Kari to all, and the school will share that information as it develops.

In the meantime, we hope to see you at an event this year – whether a virtual book club, in-person networking panel, or faculty-led alumni trip through Black Rock Forest (stay tuned for details!). Riverdale is thriving more than ever, and we are proud to be a part of this ever-growing, dynamic, and dedicated community.

With warmest regards, Joe Goldschmid ’04

PRESIDENT, AAEC Edem Dzubey ’07

VICE PRESIDENT, AAEC

Whether a student is in the Lower, Middle, or Upper School, one of the questions they’ll be asked often is “What do you want to do when you grow up?” For some, the answer will change from day to day and others will know at a young age and move forward until they make it happen. For decades, Riverdale has helped students study new topics, learn new skills, have new experiences, and reflect to help them thrive and ultimately find purpose. A new Riverdale initiative focuses on helping students understand how they can use their interests, talents, and personal values to make a difference in their community now and many years after earning their Riverdale diplomas.

The path to purpose was the focus of Head of School Dominic A.A. Randolph’s graduation speech for the Class of 2022. “I hope you stay curious and ask good questions of yourself, the people around you, and the world. That curiosity will make you a more active participant in the world and a better learner. I hope that you flexed your purpose muscle here and felt what it means to experience purpose in your lives,” he said. “I hope you will avidly seek purpose and all that you do. It will transform you and create meaning for you. I hope that you will find belonging in the new spaces you inhabit and work to create belonging for others. It will make your life richer and more impactful. It will also improve the lives of others. Stay curious, seek purpose, and find and create belonging, and you will thrive to learn and learn to thrive as you’ve done here.” While the newly minted graduates are early on their path, other Riverdale alumni continue to live the idea of seeking purpose. Meet three Riverdale alumni who took unique paths after leaving the Hill Campus but whom all found ways to use their skills and interests to make an impact.

Dr. STUART ORKIN ’63

When Dr. Stuart Orkin ’63 was a student at Riverdale, his interest in science was sparked and he was inspired by his chemistry teacher to apply to his own alma mater, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After getting his bachelor’s degree in life science at MIT, Stuart went to Harvard Medical School. He quickly realized how he could use his academic background to make an impact. “I’m interested in diseases that affect the blood like leukemia and anemia, which are common worldwide,” Stuart says, “I wanted to do what I could with my interest in science to try to do something about it.”

Since 1978, Stuart has been a professor at Harvard Medical School, where his laboratory team focuses on pediatric hematology and oncology. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at Boston Children’s Hospital, the medical school’s primary pediatric teaching hospital. His drive and sense of purpose fueled his research and has kept him dedicated to his chosen profession for decades, helping many people in the process.

In 2022, Stuart won the Canada Gairdner International Award for his discovery of the molecular mechanism that causes the shift from fetal to adult hemoglobin gene expression and subsequent development of new treatments for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, diseases that impact more than 5 million people globally. “I’m an example of someone who got a great education and went on and built on that and had an excellent career. I’m grateful to Riverdale,” he says looking back on the impact of his Riverdale education.

SARA MELTZER ’89

Sara Meltzer ’89 had a less linear path. After graduating from Riverdale, Sara got her bachelor’s degree in fine art and art history at Northwestern University. She returned to New York City to teach art at a nursery school while taking art classes and eventually pivoted to working at art nonprofits while studying art administration at New York University. For her thesis, she created an art gallery in her apartment and showcased contemporary artists. In 2005, she had twins, joined the board of the nonprofit Artists Space, and built a new 5,000-square-foot gallery that she ran until 2013.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be doing in the art world, and I had enough changes in my life,” she says, noting that she was raising her children and had recently been divorced. “I wanted to stay in the art world, but also be able to work in a different way.” So in 2013, Sara co-founded weR2, a company that sells functional objects made by contemporary artists.

However, professional and personal changes in her life, including her father’s sudden death, prompted her to reconsider her sense of purpose. “I was spending a lot of time talking to people in my sphere who were struggling in different ways. I was spending hours and hours every day on the phone helping other people, and it was exhausting, but I loved it,” she recalls. “I decided to channel this into a more productive endeavor.” Sara returned to NYU to get her master’s degree in applied psychology and, after graduating in 2022, she became an associate psychotherapist at The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling.

At the Center, Sara helps clients with difficulties including depression, anxiety, and identity issues. She is also on the board of multiple organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “In part, I found out about that organization as a result of a friend who had sadly died by suicide. His partner introduced our peer group to the organization noting that it is an organization that is incredibly powerful and helps many people who struggle with mental illness,” she recalls. “I wanted to do more.” She is now on the board of NAMI and The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

Sara says her Riverdale education has been invaluable. “There was such [a focus] on interdisciplinary thinking and integrating all aspects of what you’re learning into who you are and learning to be a critical thinker,” she recalls. With this foundational start, she found she was able to think differently about her career over time, making large or small changes to pursue the path that was right in different phases of her life.

DAMONE JOHNSON ’08

Damone Johnson ’08 also tried different careers before making his passion for cooking his full-time job. After graduating from Riverdale, Damone studied psychology and the biological basis of behavior at the University of Pennsylvania. At night, he hosted potlucks from his apartment, cooking the main meal while classmates brought various side dishes and desserts. Although some people encouraged him to make cooking his career after college, he became a case planner at the Children’s Aid Society of New York for almost two years, and then a caseworker at Person-to-Person for nearly seven years. Both organizations provide emergency assistance for individuals and families. Throughout his career, Damone continued cooking and started his Caribbean fusion catering company, Island Infusions, as a side job in 2016 after countless people who ate his food asked if he would cater events for them and encouraged him to make it his fulltime job. “I was afraid to leave what I was comfortable and successful doing to do something [different] and bet on myself and my business,” he recalls. “But I realized that life’s too short for that. You can’t be under a rock being afraid because, at a certain time, you never know when it can all be taken away. You don’t want to look back on your life and have regrets about not being able to do things that you wanted to do,” he says.

Like many people, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted him to evaluate his purpose and in June 2022, Damone decided to pursue Island Infusions fulltime. “The pandemic caused me to really sit and ask myself what is it that I really want to be doing,” he says, “When it was all said and done there was a different mission that I wanted, which was not only to cook for people but to be able to help people in my own unique way.”

One of Damone’s aims is to combat food injustice, especially for kids who don’t have access to healthy food options at school and home. “My mission is, food is love. When someone is able to get a warm meal of any kind, I know that it does something for them,” Damone says. “My goal is to make sure that no matter their circumstances, everybody can feel love, at least through a warm meal.” Damone also donates food and money to charitable services with the goal of providing similar support.

“A path to purpose looks different from person to person. Some people have it all figured out as soon as they get to college or as soon as they graduate high school. They know how they’re going to make a living and some people have to go through experiences to find exactly what their purpose is supposed to look like. It’s okay to do either one,” says Damone. He recommends that people take as much time as they need to figure out the right path for them. “Don’t rush your timeline. Once you do find what that’s supposed to be, don’t ever feel like you’re not qualified. If you feel like you’re not qualified, make sure to invest in yourself so you have the skills to be able to do it,” Damone says.

DR. STUART H. ORKIN ’63

is the David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and an HHMI investigator at Boston Children’s Hospital. Orkin has defined the molecular basis of human blood disorders and mechanisms governing blood cell development. He served as chairman of the department of pediatric oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute from 2000 to 2016. He received a BS from MIT and an MD from Harvard Medical School.

He provided the first comprehensive molecular dissection of an inherited disorder (the thalassemia syndromes), and characterized genes responsible for other human blood disorders, including X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (the first positional cloning). Stuart identified the first hematopoietic transcription factors (the GATA family) and characterized their roles in blood cell development and cancer. His studies of BCL11A, a repressor of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), have illuminated regulation of globin gene switching and led to novel genetic therapies of the thalassemias and sickle cell disease.

SARA MELTZER ’89

graduated from Riverdale Country School and went on to obtain a double BA in fine arts and art history from Northwestern University in 1993. In 1998 she completed a master’s degree in arts administration from New York University. She recently completed her second master’s degree in mental health and wellness counseling through the department of applied psychology at the Steinhardt School of New York University. She is currently working as an associate psychotherapist (MHC-LP) at The Soho Center, a private practice in Manhattan, where she works with a robust caseload of clients for individual and couples therapy.

Prior to embarking on her new career in the mental-health field, Sara was a professional in the contemporary art world who worked closely with galleries and nonprofit visual arts organizations. Sara owned a contemporary art gallery for more than 13 years that specialized in the work of emerging and mid-career artists of all media from all over the globe. Sara currently co-owns a company, weR2 (www. weR2-studio.com), that produces home and personal accessories in collaboration with contemporary artists; products are sold via luxury boutiques and museums across the United States as well as directly online.

CHEF DAMONE JOHNSON ’08

is originally from the Bronx, New York, and his love and passion for cooking was sparked at an early age, watching his Jamaican parents’ preparation of their traditional dishes, and using their inspiration to cultivate his own style of cooking while often cooking for friends and family informally. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012, Damone began a successful career in the nonprofit sector. However, due to high demand for his cooking services, Damone established his catering company, Island Infusions Catering, in 2016, and began catering on a part-time basis. In 2022, due to the growth of the business and his immense love of cooking, Damone left the nonprofit space and became full-time owner and executive chef of the company. Island Infusions Catering specializes in Caribbean-fusion cuisine, and hopes to highlight and elevate Caribbean cuisine on the world stage. He now hopes to translate this love and passion for creating cuisine into unforgettable plates for his clients. His goal is to ensure his passion and respect for every ingredient shines through in each and every plate!

ELANA LYN GROSS ’07 is an editor at Monster and the author of What Next?: Your Five-Year Plan for Life After College. Elana’s book has been called “the book every twentysomething needs,” “the go-to guide for life after college,” and “basically the Google Maps for post-grad life.” Elana’s writing has been published in Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, Time, Entrepreneur, Glamour, Marie Claire, Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many more. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and lives in New York City.