class notes

Clockwise from top right: Michael McKane ‘17, Emmy Etlin ‘17, and Fletcher Grumbach ‘17 graduated from University High School; Billie Breskin ‘17 will be attending Brown University in the fall; and Simon Schwartz ‘17 at the Bay School graduation.

class of 2011:

Friends is so happy to share that Luc Borden ‘11 is joining the SFFS Board of Trustees for his first term, starting this August! Luc is the first alum to hold this honor, and we are thrilled to have him representing our alumni community in such an important leadership role.

––––––––––class of 2012:

Gavrielle Sonntag ‘12 writes in, “After a long year and a half of remote school, I am graduating this June from UC Davis with a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I absolutely adored my time in Davis and would highly recommend it to any prospective college students. I am very excited to be starting at UCLA this fall to pursue a Masters of Public Health with an emphasis on epidemiology. I hope to explore the intersection of molecular genetics and disease while advocating for science when it comes to policy and decision making. I can’t wait until our communities are healthy enough to be back together again!”

––––––––––class of 2013:

Spencer Small ‘13 writes in: “I am a senior at Brown University studying Architecture and Computer Science, working as a web and graphic designer on the side. During the pandemic, I moved to Los Angeles to work and study remotely, while continuing to keep in touch with my best friends from SFFS; we make it a point to get together whenever we’re all home.”

––––––––––class of 2015:

Jake Slaughter ‘15 recently collaborated with his friend Ben to make an incredible video for the SFFS Admissions Office during the height of the pandemic, when it was especially crucial to give our prospective families a virtual view into our campus. The video is incredible, and we are so grateful for them sharing their artistic and tecnhological expertise with us!

Congratulations on graduating from high school, Class of 2017! We are so proud of you and thrilled to hear about what you’re up to next. Many of our ‘17 alums shared their plans for next year: • George Kingsland will be attending Washington University in St. Louis. • Stella Malone will be spending a semester in London at Richmond: the American University before attending USC. • Juliana Lamm-Perez will be attending Stanford University. • Billie Breskin will be attending Brown University. • Anna Hochman will be attending the University of Pennsylvania. • Emmy Etlin will be attending UCLA. • Simon Schwartz will be attending Wesleyan University • Naomi King will be attending Williamette University

George Kingsland ‘17 and Kath-

erine Sapinski ‘17, now friends for 12 years (!), graduated together from Groton School in Massachusetts in early June.

Hannah Duane writes: “I ended up graduating high school (Ruth Asawa School of the Arts), a year early, and as such, I’ve just finished my first year at Deep Springs College, a tiny liberal arts college located in the white mountains of California.”

––––––––––class of 2020:

Beckett Aufderhaar ‘20 writes in, “I am enjoying my first year at SHCP, especially now that we are in person! I’m playing on the JV soccer team at school, continuing to play on my club team, and am looking forward to spending some time on Cape Cod with my family over the summer.” •

Clockwise from top: A cohort of Friends graduated from Lick earlier this month (from left to right): Ava Grey, Journey Moore-Prewitt, Ben Slaughter, Juliana Lamm-Perez, and Anna Hochman (Milo Chung also graduated with the group, but is not pictured); a still from one of the two SFFS admissions videos created by Jake Slaughter ‘15; Spencer Small ‘13 with SFFS friends James Hill ‘13 and Stephan Ciulla ‘13; and George Kingsland and Katherine Sapinski ‘17 at their Groton graduation.

Do you have news to share with your fellow SFFS alums? Please send in a Class Note to Alissa at akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org— and thank you!

“The dedication that I witnessed in my teachers towards their students or even the smallest tasks and projects, helped me to tap into a passion and drive that I’m continuing to uncover. I never felt alone at SFFS, but rather, surrounded by adults who would do anything to make me feel understood and cared for. In turn, this seemed to instill the same attitude in my fellow peers, as well as myself.”

or even the smallest tasks and projects, helped me to tap into a passion and drive that I’m continuing to uncover. I never felt alone at SFFS, but rather, surrounded by adults who would do anything to make me feel understood and cared for. In turn, this seemed to instill the same attitude in my fellow peers, as well as myself. Through SFFS, I have learned that the most important skill to carry with me is empathy, and by doing so, activism and community engagement easily follow. From field trips, to workshops, and classroom activities, community engagement was so ingrained in everyday life at Friends that it’s hard to parse it out from the rest of my experience. Now looking back, the way caring for others was embedded as a daily habit has shaped me into someone that doesn’t question or second-guess making sacrifices for and helping others.

5) What advice would you give to those who want to become changemakers, but aren’t sure where to start?

Finding the entry point for involvement is something I continue to struggle with. Joining the Changemaker Project has given me the chance to practice accountability. I’ve come to learn that it’s all about making challenging, yet attainable goals. The Changemaker Project itself hasn’t taught me much about being an activist, but instead, it’s given me the platform and structure to create something and commit to it. Months ago, I would have never thought I’d be in the place I am now. However, having deadlines, a schedule, and many goals laid out ahead, has helped me to better understand that sustained commitment makes all the difference. If you’re unsure where to start, create a plan for yourself. Whether that means dedicating a certain amount of time to thoroughly researching a topic

or an organization, or committing to talking about an important issue with a least a certain number of people, I’ve found creating a plan for my engagement holds me accountable and makes my contributions more effective. •

UPDATE: We are thrilled to share that PB&J received enthusiastic funding at The Changemaker Project Global Pitch event! You can watch their pitch, and the moment they learned they would receive funding, at www.thechangemakerproject.org/2021projects