FOCUS Magazine | September 2021

HOW TO

A ReMarker Publication October 2021

sTAff EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: MORGAN CHOW IAN DALRYMPLE CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: AUSTIN WILLIAMS PETER ORSAK TOBY BARRETT WRITERS: BEN ADAMS AARON AUGUSTINE NIKHIL DATTATREYA SHREYAN DAULAT ZACK GOFORTH AXEL ICAZBALCETA GRANT JACKSON ARJUN KHATTI AARON LIU MYLES LOWENBERG NOLAN MARCUS WILL PECHERSKY GRAYSON REDMOND WILL SPENCER DAWSON YAO JONATHAN YIN

COVER DESIGN Morgan Chow COVER PHOTOS courtesy Dale Hackbarth, Christopher Williams, Conner Youngblood, Josh Nason

WHAT IS YOUR

WORTH? PRICE? VALUE? GOAL? AIM? INTENT? DESIRE? PURPOSE? AMBITION?

$$$$$

What is your worth?

In an increasingly competitive world, the only thing that matters is numbers. 4.0, 1600, 36: numbers have found their way into every corner of our lives.

But why? Do those digits really determine someone’s success?

What is success in the first place? Money? Family?

Happiness?

We didn’t make this to answer that question. This is to make people think. To make them ask themselves, what IS my definition of success?

It’s so easy for students to get caught up in the rush for overachievement that they never stop to think about where it all ends.

My test is tomorrow, this due date is next week, I don’t even want to think about my next assignment.

But it’s important to know where we’re going so that we don’t get lost along the way. We don’t have to plan our entire lives yet, and let’s remember that the best college or the best job in the world isn’t always the endgame. There’s more to life than just that.

So what is the definition of success?

The best way to answer this question to ask those who have come before us.

Here is what they have to say.

MORGAN CHOW IAN DALRYMPLE editors-in-chief

WHAT IS YOUR WORTH? FOCUS

3

page 18

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page 10

TAbLE of CoNtENts $$$$$

HOW TO MAKE MONEY 06 08 10 14 15 16 18 20 22 24

SUCCESS AROUND THE WORLD

How do we define career success in the United States, and how is it different from other countries?

STAYING AFLOAT

In an environment where futures seem to be determined

by As and Bs, we ask what else students should focus on.

STUMBLING INTO THE KITCHEN Christopher Williams never knew he could make it in the culinary world. But he did.

NAVIGATING CAPITOL HILL

Among the countless voices competing for precious government dollars, Josh Nason ‘04 makes sure his organization is heard.

A BUSINESS IN POTTERY

After one email changed what he thought he could do, Paul Schneider ‘02 made his ceramics into his career.

MAKING THE SACRIFICE

Once he cultivated a career in tennis throughout college and after, Michael Flanagan ‘90 decided to do what was best for his family.

FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

After starting his career while still in high school, Conner Youngblood ‘08 took his musical passion to the next level.

MAKING AN IMPACT

Working across continents, John Stewart ‘04 uses his skills in communication to make the world a better place.

WORKING WITH FAMILY

After working in the northeast, Akhil Kara ‘02 returned to Dallas to lead his family’s janitorial services company.

A MAN OF MANY PASSIONS

After working as a student at St. Mark’s, Cameron Hillier ‘13 returned to work as an English teacher.

26 28 30 32 34 36 37 38 39 42

WORKING TO SUSTAIN

Since he was in elementary school, Taubert Nadalini ‘13 knew he was going to be on a stage.

A PASSION FOR SERVICE

After graduating college, Julie Doerge helped others around the globe. Now, she patches up students around campus.

PULLING BACK THE CURTAINS

From warzones to the White House, Sydney Balman Jr. ‘76 has told stories from every angle.

A PASSION TO PERFORM

From Taiwan to Texas, Dr. Melody Ouyang has mastered the piano. Now she’s here, teaching the next generation.

PRESTON ROAD’S RESIDENT GUARDIAN

Now keeping St. Mark’s safe through rain or shine, Dale Hackbarth protected the Dallas public for almost 30 years.

A MAN FULL OF WISDOM

Now retired, Gjon Nivica has picked up wisdom through his many years in law.

INVESTING IN HIMSELF

It took more than a couple late nights for Fraser Marcus ‘72 to work his way through the ranks of investment banking.

ON AND OFF THE FIELD

Balancing academics and athletics, Harry Flaherty gives his all as both varsity football head coach and history teacher.

WRITING FOR LIFE From writing magazines and books to teaching English, Edward McPherson ‘95 has always been a writer.

SO WHAT IS IT?

What definition of success really matters?

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOCUS

5

SUCCESS AROUND THE

WORLD

How do we define career success in the United States. How is it different from other countries? We talked with Dr. George Benson, the Chair of the Management Department at the University of Texas at Arlington, to explain the disparities in perceptions of career success around the globe.

STORY Morgan Chow PHOTO courtesy Dr. George Benson

PEOPLE ARE MORE SIMILAR THAN THEY ARE DIFFERENT. Dr. George Benson

To understand the context of the research, Benson explains the factors that his team looked for.

“What are the things that predict career success?” Benson said. “There are three big things: things like human capital — education and experience. There are also skills — like setting goals, developing a plan of action, interviewing skills, networking skills, your ability to get out and introduce yourself.

And then the final one, I think, is your personality — being proactive and willing to go out and introduce yourself and take risks.”

Just like how each person’s skills differ, their interpretations of career success also vary.

“I think it’s important to remember that a high-paying job is not everybody’s definition of career success,” Benson said.

“There are trade-offs that people make when they pursue careers like that. But those three characteristics will make anyone successful, no matter what their goal is.”

After interviewing a total of 291 employees in addition to the ones surveyed, Benson and his associates concluded that the culture of these countries was a significant factor in the difference in perceptions of career success.

“In general, people and cultures differ in how they define what it means to be successful,” Benson said. “And you can think about it in quadrants. The first dimension is subjective versus objective career success. And going the other direction: are you self-focused or other-focused? Things like objective career success — things like high pay, high status — were found

6

FOCUS WHAT IS YOUR WORTH?

CHAIR OF THE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON

DR. GEORGE BENSON PROFESSOR

s students graduate and enter the workforce, they may start wondering what exactly it is they’re working for. At first glance, financial success is an obvious objective, yet over the years, material gain has diminished in importance. Is this more individualistic view present in all countries, or are there evident variations across cultures?

Dr. George Benson at the University of Texas at Arlington tries to answer this question in his research paper called Defining Career Success: A Cross-Cultural Comparison with data collected from employees across the globe. The research has begun an effort at creating a “culturally sensitive model of perceived career success.”

“About six other colleagues and I surveyed 120,000 employees worldwide in 37 different countries and did several hundred interviews around the world,” Benson said. “It was a really cool opportunity and great topic to discuss, and it ended up being a nice academic contribution to the research world.”

WHAT HE DOES:

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

A BALANCE BETWEEN FAMILY AND WORK AS A PROFESSOR

to be the most common around the world.”

But there are also other ways to define career success.

For example, within Asian cultures, there’s a large element of power and respect for people with high-level status.

These differences are significant, but Benson believes that it is all more similar than one might expect.

“I would say people are more similar than they are different,” Benson said. “You can see that the majority of them are still very external, very materialistic. And that’s just a reflection of society worldwide.”

Even so, the United States is comparably a very intrapersonal, or individualistic, society. Benson believes that most regard career success in their own terms.

“In the United States, and other very individualistic countries, people are more likely to define their careers in terms of personal agency, or ‘being able to do what I want,’” Benson said. “Of course, a segment of society only perceives achievement in terms of pain and work status. At the same time, I think we have individualistic values and cultures that are highly valued relative to the rest of the world. There’s a lot of people that define success in all different ways.”

This individualism that sets the United States apart from the rest comes with a cost, yet it does overall have its benefits.

“I think individualism cuts both ways — freedom and autonomy and entrepreneurship can generate tremendous wealth for the economy,” Benson said. “Yet there are folks that don’t have the advantages of education, don’t have the opportunity to achieve. But if you look at it from a bigger picture, the US has the largest economic growth and the largest economy in the world — there’s something going on right.”

Defining Career Success: A Cross Cultural Comparison

OVERVIEW

Benson and his collaborators surveyed thousands of accountants from around the world on the core values of their work ethic based on their interpersonal or intrapersonal goals and affectual or achievement goals. Here are the outcomes by country.

INTERPERSONAL

QUALITIES:

QUALITIES:

ATTAIN RECOGNITION BE ROLE MODEL GAIN RESPECT

BECOME LEADER DELIVER RESULTS MAKE GOOD MONEY

JAPAN

INDIA SWITZERLAND

AFFECT

ACHIEVEMENT

CHINA

ITALY FRANCE SPAIN

SOUTH AFRICA

POLAND QUALITIES: HAVE NO REGRETS INDEPENDENCE FIND WORK/LIFE BALANCE

QUALITIES:

INTRAPERSONAL

SELF-DEVELOPMENT KEEP BUSY ACHIEVE GOALS

SUCCESS AROUND THE WORLD FOCUS

7

STAYING

AFLOAT

Whether it’s studying Sunday night for a test or scribbling notes each day in class, students are constantly working to keep up with academics. But how should they manage the stress?

8

FOCUS WHAT IS YOUR WORTH?

She says when students rely too much on grades, they can end up lost.

“My definition of success in school was grades,” Reed said. “As soon as that ended and I started working, I felt kind of lost, because it’s really easy to measure yourself and your progress by grades.

Then, all of a sudden, you don’t have that metric anymore. It’s like you’re swimming in a pool, and as you’re swimming you can see the meter marks. You know how fast you’re going. After school it’s like you’re swimming in a lake. You’re not sure how fast you’re going or whether you’re doing better or worse than other people because there’s no metric.”

Still, Reed knows it isn’t as simple as not stressing about GPAs and SATs. “It’s so easy for me to sit here and say, ‘You shouldn’t be so worried about your grades,’” Reed said. “Students are like, ‘Yeah, you’re telling me that, but now I’m also supposed to submit this resume to these colleges, and they’re supposed to pick me over all these other people.’ It’s hard.”

Bonsu says, in order to deal with this stress, it’s best for students to focus on how they can improve, instead of focusing on what happens if they don’t.

“It would help for students to focus more on their growth,” Bonsu said. “There’s a lot of stress that comes with achieving high goals.Shifting that mindset to your own personal growth and personal bests will help with that. Students could also benefit from being more well rounded, instead of focusing on where they shine more than where they struggle.

That will help with stress management.”

Along with grades, Bonsu also says students shouldn’t stress too much about what comes next.

According to her, it’s a learning experience.

“In high school, I knew I wanted to be a psychologist,” Bonsu said. “I thought that I wanted to go into the criminal world, learning about why people do criminal things. Then, I got experiences in the prisons when I was in grad school, and I said, ‘Oh, absolutely not. I’m not doing this.’” I shifted over to working with kids, and I’ve worked with kids all my life. Your first job is not always your last job.”

Reed says when finding out what she wanted to do, it was important to think about everything.

“I wish more people asked me about picturing myself in that career on a daily basis,” Reed said.

“For example, it’s nice to say that you’re a doctor, but the hospital environment brings its own challenges. A lot has to do with the day-to-day ins and outs of the job. If you don’t really love that environment, it might not be the best job for you.”

Story continues on page 9

BONSU’S TIPS: 1. “When you are an adult, you have so many hobbies and paths and things that you enjoy. Learn to balance them now. It will be old hat when you’re older.”

2. “Whatever you tend to

feel throughout the day, pay attention, and give it a label.

Checking in with yourself is important.”

3. “Get some sleep. If you sleep well, you can label your emotions and label your thoughts a little bit better. If you don’t have enough sleep, you’re just flying by the seat of your pants.”

DR. MARY BONSU COUNSLEOR

t this point, their brains should be full.

Students sit in a chair for seven hours every day soaking up information about five different subjects (How many more minutes?).

They sit in a chair every night doing hours upon hours of homework or cramming for that big test tomorrow (When did we learn about that?).

They sit in a chair through clubs, chapels, assemblies and a plethora of other activities every week.

Actually, maybe it’s just a miracle their legs haven’t wasted away.

So what gives? Why does every student spend valuable hours on papers instead of parties?

Well, it’s because it’ll make them successful, right? But what does that even mean?

For Upper School Counselor Dr. Mary Bonsu, success is what you make of it.

“Success is simply achieving your goals,” Bonsu said. “Whatever you set your goals out to be, you achieve them.”

Bonsu says these goals can vary from person to person.

“It depends whether a career is successful,” Bonsu said. “For some people, it requires that there’s enjoyment, some sort of fulfillment from the career.

For others, it’s a career that is financially lucrative.

For others, it’s a career that blends really easily into their personal life, that frees them up so they can give their time to other things they enjoy.”

But the answer to success seems to be the same for most students here.

“Success is very popularly defined at a college prep school as getting into college,” Bonsu said.

“That’s the mark of success. For some students, a certain type of college represents success.

For instance, if I get into an elite college, that’s considered success, and in order to do that there are metrics that students use, like GPAs.” However, Bonsu warns against focusing too much on whether you’ll get that A on your next test.

“There are a lot of problems with being rigid, thinking ‘I must get this, and if I don’t get that then my world will crumble,’” Bonsu said. “That negative self-talk is unhealthy, and a rigid mindset sets the stage for that sort of unhealthy thinking. People also shouldn’t lose sight of those kinds of goals and say ‘I just don’t care about school or college, and I’m just going to go the other route where I just party all the time,’ because that can be an unhealthy type of coping as well. Inflexibility can be unhealthy.”

Director of Counseling Dr. Gabriela Reed agrees.

SOCIOLOGIST DR. REBEKAH PEEPLES THE OTHER

Story continued from page 8 Reed also stresses the importance of committing to a pursuit.

“On vacation, I went to this beautiful resort to have dinner,” Reed said. “The hostess walked us to our table, and the view was incredible. I thought that it was so cool that this was the hostess’s life, and I said, ‘Man, this is an incredible job. You are so lucky.’ She looked at me and she said, ‘I’m not lucky, I’m from Minnesota. I bought a plane ticket. Then I flew to Hawaii, and I walked into this restaurant and said, ‘I would like to be the hostess here.’ Basically, she was saying, ‘I made this life for myself,’ and she was right. Some people are stuck, and they’re like ‘I can’t leave Texas, my parents said I have to be an accountant like everybody else.’ That’s not true. You get to pick your life.”

Bonsu agrees: you should pursue your goals, whatever they may be.

“There isn’t a wrong type of success and a right type of success,” Bonsu said. “It’s all about alignment. If your goal is to become financially successful, then you’re going to focus on that. That’s not misaligned because your priorities are straight.

If you’re someone who hasn’t really figured out your priorities, you’re not following your heart, and you’re making some concessions. That may hurt you in the long run. That thing that says, ‘I want to do what I enjoy, and I want to reach my goals and success based on my own happiness and my own goals,’ don’t lose sight of that.”

STORY Ian Dalrymple PHOTOS courtesy Dr. Gabriela Reed, Dr. Mary Bonsu

SIDE e are lucky.

This statement probably doesn’t come as a shock to anyone. The students at St. Mark’s, ranked one of the best private schools in the country, are lucky. Everyone knows that.

But according to Dr. Rebekah Peeples, Associate Dean of the College for curriculum and assessment at Princeton, this means more than a good education. Our surroundings actually change how we view success.

“This concept of success is very relative to the kind of social location in which one has grown up,” Peeples said. “A lot of these ideas about satisfaction in one’s career or even the idea of success itself is a very middle class, and increasingly privileged concept.”

Peeples says that one way many Americans view success is through the lens of their parents.

“I think that, as Americans, we certainly have the idea that success is attaining a higher level of economic mobility than one’s parents,” Peeples said. “A lot of the sociological research about economic mobility is based on the premise that it is desirable for children to have a higher standard of living than their parents.”

However, according to Peeples, fewer and fewer Americans are achieving this every year.

“The data shows us that one of the most powerful determinants of economic mobility is the educational attainment of one’s parents,” Peeples said. “Back in the 40s, almost 90% of Americans achieved a higher standard of living

than their parents. For people born in the 80s, it’s about half. We actually don’t have the kind of economic mobility in the US today that we had when our parents or grandparents were born.”

Economic mobility is a measure of how someone’s well-being changes over time, and it is often measured by their income*. But even the meaning of economic mobility can change for different people.

“Economic mobility means different things depending on where someone starts on the income distribution,” Peeples said.

For a student whose parents have not finished college, who has experienced food insecurity, who might have been evicted from an apartment, economic mobility means something very different than it does for someone who’s grown up in a family with relative security where both parents went to college and there’s a great deal of money that’s accumulated through inheritance.”

So what does this mean for students at St. Mark’s? Simply put: we’re lucky to be where we are. It’s important to think about whether or not your future career will be fulfilling, but it’s also a privilege that not everybody has.

“Most people in the workforce don’t have the luxury of thinking, ‘Do I really feel fulfilled by my job?’ They’re thinking about putting food on the table.”

STORY Ian Dalrymple PHOTOS courtesy Dr. Rebekah Peeples

DR. GABRIELA REED

COUNSELOR

How do you think students could improve?

“I wish some of our students looked outside of St Marks more for their extracurriculars and groups. I think a lot of our guys end up having very similar friend groups because we are kind of in a social bubble. They might not end up experiencing what a lot of the rest of the world is like or meeting more diverse people. Seeing students branch out is really cool.”

STAYING AFLOAT / THE OTHER SIDE FOCUS

9

K

STUMBLING INTO THE

KITCHEN A car accident changed the direction of Christopher Williams’s life — that semester off of college became an almost 30-year cooking career. From making gnocchi in France to hand-crafting an opening menu full of North African dishes and Moroccan delicacies, he’s done it all in the cooking world.

C

hris Williams has never been a cubicle guy. Heck, he wasn’t really even a classroom guy. Memorization was tiresome, and homework was annoying. The hands-on stuff always got through to him better.

The thing is, you hear the same schtick from that guy on your left in math class.

This number stuff doesn’t work for me.

They don’t understand my learning style.

If I have to sit through another lecture, my ear is gonna fall off.

Find him at your ten-year reunion and he’s still whining.

Chris? He’s never been that guy — he doesn’t need a retirement party thrown by the “folks at the office” with silly party favors and a Whole Foods cake.

His plan — to never remain in one place long enough to earn one.

As all great stories begin, Chris is at a Grateful Dead concert. On the way home, he and his friends approach the highway as traffic slows to a stop and a distracted driver slams into the back of their car.

A resulting back injury makes class time even less enjoyable than it already is, and even as it begins to heal, a semester off only makes sense. Inevitably, the question is raised — what will mom and dad think of this?

“Well, at first he wanted to live in the fraternity house and ‘find himself,’” Christine Williams, mother of Chris and grandmother of senior Austin Williams said. “We thought to ourselves, ‘the first place he’s going to find himself is at the bottom of a beer bottle.’ I wanted to get him away from the fraternity house and away from the university. We suggested Colorado and said we’d give him some seed money to get him out there, but he’d have to provide for himself. We weren’t unhappy about him taking time off school, it was just how and where he wanted to do it.”

Things worked out nicely for Chris in Colorado. On his way back from his first job search, a man with a salt-and-pepper Tom Selleck-style mustache asked him for directions. Chris’s initial idea was to work as a lift operator, and as this came up in small talk, the man scoffed in his face.

10

FOCUS FAMILY

CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS CHEF Look, that’s a bad deal. Come work for me.

As it turns out, the man was top chef at ‘Summit House’, the restaurant at the top of the mountain. More pay, a free lift pass, food once a day, guaranteed housing — a chance to try something new. Not a bad offer.

The next thing he knows, he’s working for the rest of the season. In January, he’s in the back washing lettuce. By April, he’s worked every cooking station available. Surely, somehow he’d find his place in the restaurant industry.

“The Summit House affirmed something I already knew,” Chris said. “I can work with my hands, I can organize and I like doing those things. I needed tangible work. I needed to see it, feel it, do it myself to really learn it.”

HIS PROFESSION: CULINARY EXPERT

FAMOUS EMPLOYERS:

DANNY MEYER, DANIEL BOULUD, ERIC RIPERT, CHARLIE TROTTER

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

PROPER LIFE/WORK BALANCE WITH SOME TIME LEFT FOR FUN HERE AND THERE.

DINNER TIME Chris Williams cooks for his parents in his four-way apron. He would’ve been around 29 years old at the time and freshly home from culinary school.

WHAT’S

COOKING? What it takes to become a professional executive chef

7-8 years >22,000 hours

SOURCE Culinary Lab School

This was his first taste of the restaurant scene — everyone he met was colorful and full of knowledge.

Even when he returned to school, he was living off-campus and working as much as he could. By the end of the semester, he committed to cooking as something he could fall in love with.

Chris went from a local sports bar and grill to a TGI Fridays, which was more colorful than any of his other jobs.

“I started really enjoying myself,” Chris said.

“The Friday’s kitchen in the 90s was a special place. It was very machismo — it sounds silly, but you could tell everyone was thinking, ‘I’m the best one here.”

After a few more jobs, his parents sat him down for a reality check.

Chris, what’s the real endgame here?

He ended up submitting an application to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), in culinary school the commonly referenced ‘Harvard of culinary schools.’

His acceptance letter arrived, and he went straight rising up the downtown to find a job for the six months until he would culinary ladder begin.

“I went into this place called Portabella,” Chris said. as sous chef, “I almost turned around and walked back out because I right-hand man had never looked for a job in a

2-4 years 3-7 years 2 years

restaurant that fancy.”

The brothers-in-law who owned the place were both CIA alumni and very impressive — one was on his way to college with a football scholarship until he got injured.

After only a month and a half of keeping his head down, hustling, and learning the unique trade of fine dining, the brothers approached him about culinary school. They wanted him to stay.

What?

Chris’s parents were pitched the idea over focaccia bread and gnocchi at Portabella. The brothers would take Chris on a food discovery trip and hone his skills, visiting San Francisco and Napa, touring vineyards and learning how to butcher in the ‘caves’.

After a little thinking, they agreed.

Five years later, it was finally time for culinary school. Chris was 28 at this point and had more experience than he could ask for.

“There was a lot of good in that decision, but I still kind of wonder,” Chris said. “Once I was there and going through the programs, I found that I could be the top kid in my class if I wanted to. I wasn’t better than my instructor, but there were only ever one or two kids in my class that I would really want to watch.”

The culinary school offered way more benefits than cooking classes. Once a month he would go into the city and stage (pronounced “staahj”) at restaurants — essentially doing a free internship where he could both audition to be hired and learn more about cooking. Story continues, page 12 STUMBLING INTO THE KITCHEN FOCUS

11

Story continued from page 11

HOW TO MAKE

GNOCCHI Italian dumplings

PREP TIME 10 minutes COOK TIME 30 minutes INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup olive oil 4 stems 3 pounds large baking potatoes 2 large eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper.

1 2

Bake the potatoes until very soft in an oven at 350 degrees F. Scoop the insides out and mash them with a fork.

Beat the eggs lightly together in a small bowl. Add them to the potatoes along with the flour, salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Mix gently until all ingredients are well incorporated and the dough is smooth.

3 4

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface.

Lightly knead and let the dough rest for 10 minutes uncovered.

Roll the dough into thin 1/2inch thick logs and cut into 1/2inch pieces. Then press each piece against your thumb tip to make a dent or roll it over the back and off the tip of a floured fork tines to make the traditional ridged shape. Place the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured sheet pan.

5

Cook them as soon as possible in boiling salted water. When they rise to the top, let them cook for a minute or two and then remove them. Drain well and toss with any sauce desired.

SOURCE Food Network

12

FOCUS FAMILY

vegetables. From there, he secured two jobs as sous chef, working at Lucas Park Grill and Franco. He traveled to the Galapagos with his wife for a wild cooking experience. After a return to Franco as head chef, he was able to create his own menu at a place called Nico.

“I did a lot of really interesting North African and Moroccan dishes,” Chris said.

“Definitely very Mediterranean, but instead of focusing on Spain, France, and Italy, I looked for something more interesting.”

Since then, Chris and his wife Daniela have had two kids. He’s been moving around and cooking ever since. He loves the change and has done it throughout his career.

When asked about success in his industry, he said it depends on who you’re asking.

“If you’re a corporate guy running a big chain, you want to keep your staff and your clients happy,” Chris said. “But if you work at an independent restaurant, it’s all about packing butts in seats every night, making friends with your guests, creating food the way you want to, and putting smiles on faces.

It all comes down to this ancient tradition of breaking bread at the table. Everyone is gathered to eat, but also to set everything aside and enjoy each other.”

The New York City opportunities were unreal.

He got to stage at Eleven Madison Park under Danny Meyer’s ownership (the guy who owns Shake Shack) and at Daniel under famous chef Daniel Boulud. His externship in between the two years of culinary school took place at Le Bernardin under another famous chef, Eric Ripert. He even went out to Chicago to stage at Charlie Trotter’s, eponymously named after yet another cook.

After graduation, it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be to find jobs. High-end places saw ‘recent CIA graduate’ on his resume and dismissed him to get more experience — but it worked out just fine.

One of the chefs at Cafe Provencal, a place he worked at back in St. Louis, offered him the opportunity of a lifetime — cooking in France.

“At the time, there were no Michelin Star properties in the U.S., and I really wanted to be weighed and measured,” Chris said.

Chris worked near Carcassone, France at a restaurant called Relais du Pigasse for three months. He remembers it as being spectacular, but not without difficulty. After all, his knowledge of the French language was limited to ingredients and a little phrasebook.

“The food was amazing,” Chris said. “We STORY Austin Williams garnished it with wildflowers we were picking PHOTOS courtesy Christine Williams within walking distance of the property. One night, an assistant to the pastry chef took me to family dinner on a Sunday night.

They served us a ten-course meal and brought me to a live music festival. It was an awesome night, even though I had to deal with some flak for Lance Armstrong’s success (the American cyclist who won the Tour de France).”

From Chris’s point of view, France was where his cooking skills reached their peak. He returned home to St. Louis and made the decision that he wouldn’t work more than 18 months anywhere.

A gig at a new Larry Forgione restaurant taught HIS NEW HOME Chris poses with his parents Christine and him to appreciate the art of Douglas in front of the Culinary Institute of America in New York City. making sauces and preparing

$$$$$

MOVING UP THE

RANKS

top 10 1 PATROL OFFICER Median salary: $63,150 Hours of training needed: 840

2

3

4 5

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Median salary: $60,890 Years of experience needed: 3-10

SALES REPRESENTATIVE Median salary: $59,930 Hours of training needed: 10

FLIGHT ATTENDANT Median salary: $56,640 Weeks of training needed: 3-6

ELECTRICIAN Median salary: $56,180 Hours of experience needed: 8000

PAYING JOBS

WITHOUT A DEGREE SOURCE U.S. News

6 7 8 9 10

PLUMBER Median salary: $55,160 Years of experience needed: more than 2

STRUCTURAL IRON/STEEL WORKER Median salary: $55,040 Years of experience needed: 3-5

SOUND ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN Median salary: $54,740 Months of training needed: less than 6

HEARING AID SPECIALIST Median salary: $53,420 Years of experience needed: 2-4

BRICKMASON AND BLOCKMASON Median salary: $53,100 Hours of training needed: at least 6000

MOVING UP THE RANKS FOCUS

13

H

NAVIGATING CAPITOL

are constantly working with members of Congress to get that passed every year.”

Lobbying for a bill starts with figuring out how it’s going to be passed. Nason helps give it a bipartisan foundation.

“The goal is to get a piece of legislation on the floor that members can start signing on to, ‘’ Nason said. “Our approach in AIPAC is always going to be bipartisan. We’re gonna make sure that the bill starts with both Democrats and Republicans on the bill as original sponsors, and then it depends on what opportunities present themselves. Sometimes you move the Congress needs to hear plenty of voices to decide bill as a standalone and sometimes you try to attach it to a where billions in spending will be going — So which bigger bill, like the National Defense Authorization Act.” ones rise to the top? Josh Nason ‘04 meets with Nason works with many Texas and DFW-area members of members of congress usually only seen on the news Congress across the political spectrum, like Colin Allred, Van Taylor and Lance Gooden. He’s also lobbied senators, such as to advance his organization’s priorites.

Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock and Indiana Republican Todd Young. For ot many people know when the latest over a year, he’s State and Foreign Operations funding done this on bill was passed or what was in the last Zoom.

National Defense Authorization Act. But “In some these laws direct hundreds of billions of ways, it’s even dollars, and Josh Nason ‘04, who works as crazier,” Nason a lobbyist for AIPAC, The American Israel said. “When we Public Affairs Committee, knows what do our lobbying goes on behind the scenes. week, I frequently “Lobbying days are always nuts,” have weeks Nason said. “Back before COVID, where I’ll do 30 when we were doing lobbying days inZoom lobbying person on the Hill, you’d be running meetings in a from room to room. There were times period of three where I would probably have nine days.”

TAKING ON THE HILL Nason (center) walks with other co-workers down the steps behind the U.S. Capitol Building. or ten appointments Appropriations on the Hill, running bills have an back and forth from extra emphasis the House and Senate side, trying to get those because they must pass even the most gridlocked Congress, done.” so there is plenty of jockeying for different policies to get in, After graduating from St. Mark’s, Nason especially in polarized times when individual bills might not pursued policy and government in college. make it through. That’s where the nonstop lobbying and Zoom “I’ve always been really interested in policy,” meetings come in. Nason sees it as essential to be flexible and Nason said. “I did my Masters in Middle East pragmatic in chaotic political times.

Studies at Johns Hopkins, and I’d taken a deep “You kind of have to think of Congress as a train station, interest in the Middle East. Immediately after and there’s only so many trains that actually get to leave the grad school, I spent some time at a think tank station,” Nason said. “And so, when there’s one that is leaving, working for one of the research fellows there, you have to punch that ticket.” and then I moved over to AIPAC.” But even when it gets hectic, Nason still enjoys the basic AIPAC pushes for more American support support across all parties for Israeli-American relations. of Israel. Although a contentious issue in many “There are a lot of reasons to be jaded about Washington ways, foreign aid and cooperation with Israel and about politics,” Nason said. “But, it’s also cool to get to still enjoys broad, bipartisan support. work on an issue that still does demand bipartisan support “The biggest piece of legislation that and provide an opportunity for members to work together.”

AIPAC is involved in every year is security assistance to Israel,” Nason said. “So on an annual basis, the U.S. provides $3.3 billion in security assistance and another $500 million STORY Myles Lowenberg, Ben Adams, Grant Jackson in cooperative missile defense. We at AIPAC PHOTOS courtesy Josh Nason

HILL

JOSH NASON

POLICY

N

14

FOCUS ALUMNI

P

A BUSINESS IN

POTTERY

F

Originally planning on pursuing a career in international studies, Paul Schneider ‘02 found his career in an unlikely place — his passion for ceramics.

or many students, ceramics is one of those classes you take to fill your fine art credit. It was like this for Paul Schneider ‘02 — at least he thought.

But after graduation he received an unusual message from a school parent.

Hey Paul, We saw one of your vases on display in the Lower School. Would you be interested in selling any of your work?

At the time, he was on his way to Rhodes College to major in international studies and pitch for the baseball team, but this sparked a thought.

Hang on. I can sell this stuff?

These days, they see a lot of success. He’s felt fortunate to be included in some unique and highly visible projects.

“The one thing that stands out happened when I was still very uncertain about my path forward,” Schneider said. “I got an email from a designer inquiring about a whole slew of custom lamps and vases for an airplane. It turned out to be a custom build for the Emir of Kuwait’s new 747 at a facility in Love Field.”

Schneider likes to think of himself as an outgoing introvert. He likes to be in the back of his shop working on things, but it’s a lot more draining to be working with people all day.

ARTISAN LAMPS “A lot of people in this business go to trade shows all the time and set up booths and all that,” Schneider said. “I’ve been to one. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to generate enough business to not need to go back to trade shows.”

BASEBALL COACH, LANDMAN Although he doesn’t love it, this more extroverted side of ceramics is integral to running a successful business.

“I think that everybody, to an extent, is in sales, and it’s an incredibly important aspect of being professional,” Schneider said. “I QUALITY OF PRODUCT AND think it’s something St. Mark’s prepares you very well for. I pride myself on being very UNIQUENESS OF DESIGN professional with clients and making sure that I’m accommodating their requests. I want to make sure that they have a good experience and I’m not wasting their time, and ultimately that they’re happy with the product.”

Now, 12 years later, Schneider has built an incredibly successful business out of what he once viewed as a hobby.

“I never thought that I would be involved in ceramics as a career, but that’s just the way things turned out,” Schneider said. “Do a bunch of different things, and keep in mind that everything is connected. I think that has served me well in my current venture. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t think too narrowly about things.”

PAUL SCHNEIDER CERAMICIST

Schneider spent three years of high school in retired ceramics teacher William Kysor’s class. This is where his passion began.

“After I graduated he placed a few of my pieces around campus,” Schneider said. “I started selling right out of high school, and eventually I moved my pieces to a store in Dallas.”

Because much of Schneider’s time was split between classes and baseball, he had very little time for a traditional job. So he turned to ceramics.

“I would mess around with ceramics in the morning so that I would have some to sell at the Dallas shop,” Schneider said. “Fast forward a few years, and I figure that if I’m ever going to try this — take it more seriously — then this is the time to do it.”

When college was over, Schneider worked in the oil and gas business until the market tanked in 2008.

“And that’s when I was like, ‘You know, I’m young, there’s no better opportunity to do this,’” Schneider said. “And I decided to concentrate on ceramics full-time.”

But aside from his time in Kysor’s class and the odd piece during college, Schneider had very little professional experience with pottery.

“I was an international studies major, I was studying abroad in Madrid, I played baseball, but I had no real background in ceramics,” Schneider said. “And more importantly, with regards to ceramics, you need to have some sort of ceramic engineer on staff, because there’s a whole lot of chemistry involved with all of this. Someone had to understand the chemistry to produce these glazes and work with different clay bodies to be able to achieve the results I wanted.”

As his business has grown, it has developed into less of a creative venture.

“I refer to my job as a ceramics business, as opposed to being an artist,” Schneider said. “The majority of our work is with lamps, which we sell to different retailers and interior designers around the nation. And outside of lamps, we do some basic things like bowls and vases.”

WHAT HE MAKES: OTHER HATS HE’S WORN:

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

STORY Jonathan Yin, Austin Williams, Dawson Yao PHOTOS courtesy Paul Schneider

NAVIGATING CAPITOL HILL / A BUSINESS IN POTTERY FOCUS

15

S

MAKING THE

SACRIFICE After a successful tennis career at Stanford University, Michael Flanagan ‘90 was ready to take his passion to the next level. After working tirelessly at his craft and participating on the ATP Tour for two years, he had to make one of the toughest decisions of his life — to walk away from the game.

S

ince the early age of seven, Michael Flanagan ‘90 has been immersed in the world of tennis.

After winning the first tournament he ever entered, Flanagan felt connected to the game, creating a competitive drive that eventually allowed him to compete at a collegiate level.

But as he finished up his tennis career at Stanford University, in which he earned a 1992 NCAA Championship, he had to make the decision on whether or not to compete at the next level.

Ultimately choosing to participate in the ATP tour, Flanagan reached rankings in the top 400s for singles and 300s for doubles in just two years of play.

While Flanagan has the ability to commit to a full-time career in tennis, he also has one of the best educations in the world and a pending job offer from Goldman Sachs sitting in his back pocket. Despite spending nearly his whole life working toward his passion, Flanagan realizes that he needs to invest in something more important—his family.

“It’s not like I had some debilitating injury that caused me to hang up my rackets,” Flanagan said. “It would’ve taken me 10 years of playing tennis professionally to achieve my goals—top 100 in singles and top 10 in doubles. A lot of the guys who performed as well as I did in college ended up playing in Grand Slam doubles titles and on Olympic teams. On one hand, I’m bummed that I missed out on those opportunities. But I ultimately think that moving on from the game and going into finance was the best decision for my family.”

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FOCUS ALUMNI

MICHAEL FLANAGAN FINANCE

HIS PROFESSION:

Flanagan’s experiences on the ATP tour made him independent, forced him to mature quickly and introduced him to adulthood.

“In college, everything was planned out for me,” Flangan said. “But on the tennis tour, it was me that made all the decisions. I had to pick my tournaments and sign up for them, as well as make plane reservations and travel accommodations. It was a very entrepreneurial venture.”

PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT

WHAT HE USED TO DO:

PROFESSIONAL TENNIS FOR TWO YEARS ON THE ATP TOUR

WHY HE SWITCHED CAREERS:

TO SUPPORT AND CARE FOR HIS FAMILY

Flanagan works in private wealth management. As he entered the world of finance, he understood the importance of meaningful communication skills — something he struggled with in the beginning.

“When I first started working, the biggest challenge I had in my job was learning to work within an organization,” Flanagan said. “Tennis by definition is an individual sport. Because I was playing so much tennis growing up, I never had the opportunity to have a paper route, work in an ice cream shop or be a part of a company or organization. When I first transitioned to finance, it was a challenge to learn to collaborate with a wide variety of people.”

To be successful in his industry, Flanagan has to make connections with his clients and help them further their life-long aspirations.

“A lot of our clients are fortunate to have accumulated a lot of money in their life,” Flangan said. “In my profession, success is helping clients achieve what matters most to them and helping them achieve their financial goals.”

Flanagan enjoys forming relationships with clients because they have wisdom to share about their entrepreneurial experiences.

“The most interesting part of my job is working with entrepreneurs who have been successful in creating wealth in a variety of different ways and industries,” Flangan said. “Hearing their stories about how they rose to the top of

whatever industry it is that they are in is very inspiring.”

Flanagan has always valued family and he strives to have a good work-life balance — something that he learned from his father.

“My father was a role model for me,” ON THE COURT Flanagan plays in an exhibition Flanagan said. “He match with former number 1 doubles player Mike Bryant was very successful in his law career and was able to distinguish himself in that regard while still being a good family man who would attend athletic events and school activities.

I admired the way that he balanced his work life and his personal life. I try to have the same flexibility to tend to family obligations and things outside of work. I think that being able to take the time to come out and watch my son’s tennis matches contributes to my success just as much as earning money through my job.”

Some of the biggest numbers in professional tennis.

Although he found the transition from tennis to finance difficult, Flanagan has no regrets. He does, however, have advice for others who want to have success in their respective careers.

Duration of longest “If I could talk to my younger self, I would emphasize being patient and match ever played sticking to the routine and work ethic that got me in that position in the first place,” Flanagan said. “I was guilty Most wins by a single player of believing that financial success in business would come as fast as my success came in tennis. When I started Fastest serve ever recorded in finance, I had to recognize that I was at the bottom of the mountain again and that it would take a while to get to the top. Coming from the pinnacle of one career to the bottom of a new career, it is oftentimes hard to stay patient. You just need to stay on the path and trust the process, and ultimately, you will be successful.”

SERVING IT UP

11 hours and 5 minutes 1274 wins

163.7 mph

SUPERVISING Looking over his co-worker’s shoulders, Flanagan loves advising his team.

STORY Shreyan Daulat, Arjun Khatti PHOTOS courtesy Michael Flanagan

SOURCE olympics.com, atptour.com, tenniscompanion.org

MAKING THE SACRIFICE FOCUS

17

FOR THE RIGHT

REASONS Currently living in Nashville, TN, Conner Youngblood ’08 is an aspiring artist with a one-of-a-kind instrumental background. But how he got here wasn’t all that simple.

CONNER YOUNGBLOOD MUSICIAN

or Conner Youngblood ‘08, music has been a large part of his life since a young age. Whether it was watching old films, listening to his mom sing, or learning obscure instruments, Youngblood has always been surrounded by melodies. These experiences have served as motivation for what his career is today: songwriting.

After picking up a few instruments, learning to sing and performing at a few coffeehouses, Youngblood started creating his own music in his final year in high school, and as he moved on to college, he slowly transformed his music hobby into a full-fledged career. Now, as a full-time musician with an original album and multiple singles under his belt, Youngblood has performed in many countries worldwide, like Slovenia, Croatia, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and many more.

Now a resident of Nashville, TN, and an expert of more than 30 instruments, Youngblood has plans to return back to Dallas to finish producing his next album.

Performances in Russia and leading a life in Japan are also his next on his to-do list. Whatever the future has for him, Youngblood knows that everything leading up to his life today is invaluable.

In seventh grade, I learned clarinet, and then I learned guitar when I was 13. Then I just started accumulating different instruments, like the banjo and the charango, this South American ukulele-type thing. I just grew fascinated with different instruments, the sounds they produced and all the different ways you can combine them into a song. And that lent itself into the production side of things; realizing that the opportunities are endless and there’s no right or wrong way to create music.

really considered and would have taken as seriously as music. Anything else would have felt like just doing a job just because of it being a job.

WHAT HE DOES:

Initially, I wanted to study architecture but I didn’t get into the advanced program. You have to apply for the major going into junior year and they only take in a certain number of people, but it was fun and I still really enjoyed it. I got better at drawing, and just saw things in different ways.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN:

One thing led to another, and I started writing my own music around junior year in high school. I played music and liked the idea of being a musician. At that time I was just playing guitar, banjo, and every now and then singing songs in my room. I wasn’t even comfortable singing in public yet. I’d say senior year is when I actually started enjoying writing and singing.

If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I don’t think I would’ve chosen an architect. I don’t even know if I ever did, I think I just wanted to study. Maybe that’s why I didn’t get in.

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

I applied to film schools out of my senior year at St. Mark’s to USC and UCLA. I applied to film school because I really did want to pursue that as a career. At some point, I still kind of do, I’m not going to lie. It’s the only other career I

18

FOCUS ALUMNI

I usually try to get up around 5:30 to exercise a bit. I usually go running for about an hour, stretch and then eat breakfast. Since I don’t have as much money coming in, I decided it wasn’t worth paying for studio time, so I am now recording at home after buying all the gear to do it here. I usually just put on movies in the background, and I just work silently and make music all day.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

ENGLISH, DANISH, SPANISH, RUSSIAN, JAPANESE

HAVING OTHERS GET THE SAME THING OUT OF MUSIC THAT HE DOES.

TAKING THE STAGE Youngblood has performed around the world, like at this festival in Estonia. The singer has also performed in Norway, Slovakia, Latvia, Japan, Spain, Austria, Belgium and more. He hopes to go on tour in Russia in the future.

I’ve been learning a bunch of languages recently and every morning besides Sunday, I study with tutors online. Danish is one that I’ve been learning for a long time. I also work on Russian for about an hour every morning. Once a week, I’ll do Spanish just to keep up with it, too. I’ve gotten bored and even caught back up with some Japanese from my St. Mark’s days.

St. Marks and Yale both have caused me to enjoy learning things more now than I did in school. Somehow, it went from thinking of learning as a task to causing me to appreciate how fun it can be just to learn things. Like, here I am, 15 years later, fascinated by everything Japanese and wanting to move to Japan because I took Japanese throughout middle and high school.

There’s not too many goals that I need to hit that I’ve created for myself. It’s definitely not in physical things, like a Grammy. It would be cool, but it’s never been the goal. There are little stops along the way, though. I do want to score more films, I do want to live in Japan, but the main thing is kind of just an overall state of being that I’m trying to try to hit.

It’s interesting to think whether or not being on the way to success equates to being successful. I’m successful because I feel like I’m on the right track. I haven’t reached the point I want to get to yet, so in that way, I’m not at the point of success, but I am definitely successful in

the way that I’ve been approaching it and where I’m at.

Make sure you’re doing everything for the right reasons, because you think it’s the right choice. If you like what something sounds like, whether you’ve heard it or not, go with your gut. It’s important to be influenced and inspired by the musicians, but it’s not a competition. Don’t think you have to do whatever other people are doing. Stick to your own original self, what got you there in the first place, why you wanted to do it in the first place.

Other advice: be patient. You’ll get distracted by the fact that there’s an album out every day and when you look at it from the wrong perspective, you’ll start thinking everyone’s moving at a thousand miles an hour. You have to realize that everyone is moving at their own pace, and it’s okay to just stick to your own.

With music and art, especially, there’s no need to ever rush it, and you probably shouldn’t if you want the best quality you’re capable of achieving to be realized.

It’ll all be there.

Hopefully, I haven’t said anything that sounded intimidating or pessimistic, but it’s been great. I certainly would change some things in hindsight, but I really would do it again if I could.

STORY Morgan Chow, Aaron Liu PHOTOS courtesy Conner Youngblood

FOR THE RIGHT REASONS FOCUS

19

Currently living in Boston, MA, John Stewart ’04 spends his time working with people all around the globe, striving to make the world a better place to live.

A

n innate love for language has always shown in John Stewart ’04.

When Stewart hears a word that stands out to him, he immediately wants to explore its root, origin and use.

Whether he’s searching for unique words to examine with his high school buddy Matt Lahrman ’04 or living with a family in Spain on a summer abroad trip, Stewart has been sold on the power of languages since early on in his life.

He knew that wherever his career took him, being involved in work with a global lens would be a must.

During a conversation with his dad in the eighth grade, Stewart experienced a turning point in choosing a future career path.

“I told him, ‘I don’t know. Maybe I just want to make a lot of money,’” Stewart said. “He was like, ‘Well, I know a lot of people with a lot of money, and a lot of them are miserable.’

So I think you should find out what it is that you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for that.”

As he worked his way through high school, Stewart’s passion grew more apparent.

“On the social level, I just loved the access that [languages] gave me to people whose experience, culture, and worldview are really different from my own,” Stewart said. “I just had this itch to experience the broader world, and I think that started with Japanese, which was a requirement for us.”

Stewart took this “itch” and eventually made his way to Corporate Accountability, a non-profit organization headquartered in Boston, where Stewart has worked for the last 12 years. However, when choosing a career that’s out of the norm, Stewart was initially met with mixed feedback.

“I also received the message, not necessarily from my parents but from others around me, that doing social change work was a phase, and eventually, I would get a ‘real job,’” Stewart said. “I got that message all the time.”

Working in a diverse, global industry, Stewart gets to put his love for languages to use each day.

“I get to work with people from all over the world to address the root causes of the climate crisis,” Stewart said.

“My organization is global, and we work with the UN and the World Health Organization, working with people on every continent on the planet who also share that common vision and those values. That is just indescribably cool.”

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FOCUS ALUMNI

CHANGE Stewart speaks with a delegate from Malaysia at the Sixth Conference of the parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Moscow, Russia.

Stewart’s background in Dallas also played a role in how he wants to make an impact in a purposeful way.

“I grew up with a lot of privilege, and I don’t necessarily need to be at the forefront or in the limelight when it comes to making change happen,” Stewart said. “Right now I mobilize people who have the resources and who share our bold vision to make that change possible. It feels like a really meaningful role for me to play.”

Tracking progress in the area of social change isn’t always easy, and Stewart recognizes the difficulty in staying focused on long-term goals.

“You have to measure incremental markers of success towards the larger goal,” Stewart said. “And sometimes, honestly, it’s like two steps forward, one step back. But at least from my vantage point, the movement of people who are calling for change feels stronger than ever.”

Pursuing an area he’s passionate about has led Stewart to a community in which he feels a strong sense of belonging.

“We’re working on a mission that I believe really strongly in,” Stewart said. “These are people who share my values, people who have become very close friends and they’re the people who have gone through the wringer with me.”

Throughout all of the ups and downs, Stewart’s mission each day keeps him motivated to improve the world one step at a time.

“Being able to say that I’m putting my time and my energy and my resources into making the world a more just, safe and sustainable place for future generations,” Stewart said. “That makes me feel good at the end of the day.”

STORY Will Pechersky, Nolan Marcus PHOTOS Courtesy John Stewart ‘04

JOHN STEWART

IMPACT

SOCIAL CHANGE

MAKING AN

THROUGH THE

YEARS

As time passes and technology improves, new jobs are created and old ones grow smaller. We look at the most popular jobs in the 1950s and what happened to them to see how the American work force has changed over the generations

7,088,904 employed

August 1951 Other 11%

Leisure and Hospitality 6%

AGRICULTURE:

Professional/Business Services 6% Construction 6%

Manufacturing 31%

Retail Trade 10%

Despite being one of the biggest industries in America, agriculture began to shrink during the 50s as farms consolidated their resources.

New technology led to more specialized farming, and nowadays roughly 3.5 million still work the fields.

RAILROADS AND RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION: 1,436,681 employed

Education and Health Services 5% Financial Activities 4%

Trade, Transportation and Utilities 21%

August 2021 Other 11%

Manufacturing 9%

Leisure and Hospitality 10%

STEEL:

691, 984 employed

Professional/Business Services 14%

Financial Activities 6% Construction 5%

Trade, Transportation and Utilities 19%

Retail Trade 10% Education and Health Services 16%

After peaking during World War II, rail freight did not reach a new height again until 1970. This is partly due to President Eisenhower’s focus on improving public highways.

However, working on railway transportation was still a popular profession in the 50s.

Later, it would drop to 254,836 people in 2017

Post World War II, steel boasted over half a million laborers.

However, new processes, including the use of recycled scrap instead of iron ore to make steel, meant that many mills didn’t require the manpower of years past. As the industry evolved, these new technologies would also make their ways overseas, and countries like Germany, Japan and China would develop their own industries. With increased competition, the US produced less steel, and roughly 80,000 people are now employed in US steel production.

MAKING AN IMPACT / THROUGH THE YEARS FOCUS

21

F

WORKING WITH

FAMILY After working in the northeast as an immigration lawyer, Akhil Kara ‘02 returned to Dallas to lead his family’s janitorial services company.

S

chool’s over. Classmates are being picked up. Some boys are getting changed for sports. Others are psyching themselves up to start homework. A few are just ready to go home and turn on their Segas and Ataris and Playstations to release some steam after a tough day at school. But Akhil Kara ‘02 has toilet paper on his mind.

Kara’s parents pull up to the carpool line in a beaten-up Dodge Caravan. There aren’t many other cars like it at St. Mark’s, in the heart of Preston Hollow.

“You’re always aware of that,” Kara said. “And it’s different, but that’s your reality and that’s just what it takes to keep going.”

He doesn’t get in. Instead, his parents drive past him, pointing him towards the end of the carline. Kara walks down there. They unload. Laden with toilet paper, industrial-sized boxes of napkins and whatever else the maintenance department requires, he staggers to the cafeteria’s back entrance.

After immigrating to the United States from India, Kara’s father started a facility supply company.

“He had been working in a trash can liner plastics manufacturing facility,” Kara said.

“He started our business by buying surplus trash cans from there and selling them back to various places of need, like the hospitality industry, and then he expanded the products

that we offered based upon whatever people were asking for.”

That was in 1978. For a while, things were tough. Kara’s mom joined the company fulltime in 1990 and his dad worked two jobs to support the family.

“I grew up in the business,” Kara said.

“After school, I would have to deliver all across Dallas, to healthcare centers, hospital systems,

different school districts or even event centers.

Otherwise, I’d be in our little warehouse helping out.”

Work was demanding. Kara would help his family deliver at any hour of the day, any day of the week. Right before a church service.

Emergency deliveries late at night when supplies had run out. Kara and his family aimed to always be there.

PACKING AND SHIPPING M.A.N.S Distributors office in Carrolton where Kara and around a dozen employees work.

22

FOCUS ALUMNI

JANITORIAL AKHIL KARA SERVICES HIS PROFESSION:

PRESIDENT, JANITORIAL SERVICES COMPANY

PLACES HE’S WORKED:

DALLAS, NEW YORK CITY, PHILADELPHIA, DUBAI

FAVORITE SUBJEECTS IN SCHOOL: ENGLISH AND HISTORY

Meanwhile, Kara wasn’t letting his work commitments interfere with his studies. After entering the school as a fourth-grader, he played varsity volleyball and served as Student Council Vice President during his senior year.

“Class-wise, I was always more focused on the humanities – history and English,” Kara said. “I didn’t have as much affinity towards math and the sciences.”

THERE’S A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY IN EVERYTHING YOU’RE EXPOSED TO. Akhil Kara ‘08

Kara applied early and was admitted to Johns Hopkins University. He played club

volleyball and majored in political science.

Following graduation, Kara had planned to gain some work experience and then go to law school. So, he started his career at the international immigration law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, spending two years in Dubai.

“Then it got to a point where my folks were kind of like, ‘Hey, if you’re going to to to law school, you need to do it now,’” Kara said.

“So, I applied late in the process and got waitlisted at a bunch of places, but went to the University of Baltimore with the intention of transferring out.”

Kara ended up staying. Baltimore had grown on him during his time at Johns Hopkins and the law school was close to the nation’s capital. Kara then returned to Fragomen at a higher position in their New York office. Later, Kara began to help his parents out more.

“They had some issues with some of the contracts that they were in and some of the things that were happening inside their

customer’s organizations,” Kara said. “My mom’s health took a little bit of a turn, so they needed even more help. It just kind of made sense because I always wanted to come back to Dallas, and there was a lot of growth that I envisioned for the company.”

Kara’s company primarily focuses on the local, state and federal government sectors: school districts, school systems, municipal facilities, utility departments, prisons, law enforcement, the military. As his business continues to grow, Kara sometimes reflects on his childhood insecurity – working at school.

“As a kid, I was doing everything I could to try not to draw attention to myself,” Kara said. “But there was also a little bit of pride.

Other people have certain advantages with their families, but you’re still at the same place academically, so in the end, where you start is not all that matters.”

STORY Keshav Krishna PHOTOS Courtesy Akhil Kara

WORKING WITH FAMILY FOCUS

23

P

A MAN OF MANY

PASSIONS After graduating from the school in 2013, Wilderness Program Director and Upper School English teacher Cameron Hillier ’13 rejoined the community to serve in two roles where he gets to do what he loves.

F

ind your passion.

We’re all used to hearing these three words. Whether it’s from teachers, administrators, advisors or parents, students have been instilled with this message countless times in the classroom.

But what does it actually look like to pursue a passion?

Wilderness Program Director and Upper School English teacher Cameron Hillier ’13 serves as a prime example of why finding and pursuing a passion is so heavily emphasized at the school.

As a teacher who loves what he does, Hillier has experienced firsthand what it’s like to find your passion.

According to Hillier, choosing a career path you’re interested in is what makes life more pleasurable.

“Considering that the work you choose to pursue will make up the majority of waking hours during the day, you ought to choose to enjoy that time rather than struggle through it,” Hillier said.

For Hillier, part of this career involves meeting new students, working with them each day and each new school year.

“Every year I get to work with a new group of young men who are interesting and accomplished individuals,” Hillier said. “And, while the school year ebbs and flows, every day is unique. Sure, we have a rotating schedule, but the conversations, books, assignments and enthusiasm are always changing and keep every day interesting.”

However, while happiness is important when choosing a career path, Hillier emphasizes the value in finding the right spot in between doing what you love and supporting yourself financially.

WHILE THE SCHOOL YEAR EBBS AND FLOWS, EVERY DAY IS UNIQUE.

Cameron Hillier ‘13

“I’d tell anyone who’s thinking about their future to find something they love to do and

24

FOCUS FACULTY & STAFF

figure out a way for it to pay the bills,” Hillier said. “Having enough money to live comfortably is important.”

While financial independence remains a responsibility, for Hillier, being faced with obstacles was not a reason to quit. In fact, the challenges pushed him to become better at his job.

“My first full-time work in education was at a boarding school where I was immediately thrown into a lot of different positions,” Hillier said. “Teaching four English classes was the least of my concerns when I was also coaching tennis, acting as a dorm parent and serving as an advisor. I pulled a lot of late nights trying to stay on top of lesson plans and grading, but along the way I learned a lot about how I could be the best teacher possible.”

From his own experiences, Hillier knows that many jobs have greater meaning beneath the surface.

“Most folks think that teaching is a chore, and one must be incredibly patient because the students are troublemakers,” Hillier said. “Some students are, and one does have to

THE OUTDOORS Part of Hillier’s involvement at the school deals with the Wilderness Program, where he leads the annual

Pecos trip each year. In his free time, Hillier chooses to spend more time in nature travelling national parks and more around the world.

CAMERON HILLIER

INSTRUCTOR

NATIONAL PARKS VISITED: DEFINITION OF SUCCESS: ACADIA ARCHES BIG BEND BRYCE CANYON CANYONLANDS CAPITOL REEF CARLBAD CAVERNS CONGAREE GATEWAY GRAND CANYON GRAND TETON GREAT SMOKEY MOUNTAINS GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS HOT SPRING MAMMOTH CAVE SHENANDOAH WHITE SANDS YELLOWSTONE ZION

WAKING UP EVERY MORNING EXCITED FOR THE DAY AHEAD

be patient, but many adults don’t think that hanging out with teenagers is fun. In truth, it is nothing short of hilarious. The energy, laughter and enthusiasm about everything makes it infinitely better than working with adults in a corporate setting. They don’t get to laugh as much as I do, working as a teacher.”

Either way, Hillier considers the joy to be the most important factor of his work. At the end of the day, he considers two rules as most important when working to achieve success.

“Having passion for what you do is crucial,” Hillier said. “I think without that, I wouldn’t have made it past a good number of obstacles in the first few years. I’ve also learned that there are only so many hours in a day and saying ‘no’ is okay. Particularly as a young man, there’s a desire to prove yourself worthy and say ‘yes’ to every task that comes your way. What I’ve found is that saying ‘yes’ to everything limits your ability to excel in any area.”

WHAT HE DOES:

ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR, WILDERNESS PROGRAM DIRECTOR At the end of the day, Hillier values the connections he makes with his students as the greatest joy and fuel for his passion.

“A few days before Christmas break during my second year as an English teacher, some recent graduates came back to watch a basketball game,” Hillier said. “Their college was already on Christmas break, but the high school had a couple more days to go. While watching the game, my former students came over and started telling me that, although they didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, they realized that my class had prepared them, and they were excelling in their college English course.

The gratitude, growth and the friendships I’ve created with students are why I teach.”

STORY Will Pechersky, Aaron Liu, Nolan Marcus PHOTOS courtesy Cameron Hillier A MAN OF MANY PASSIONS FOCUS

25

WORKING TO

SUSTAIN Working in an industry that often gets overlooked, Taubert Nadalini ‘13 has dedicated his career to strengthening and supporting the complex art of acting.

How did your early interest in acting affect your childhood experience?

“I come from a very athletic family, so sports were almost a prerequisite for growing up in our household. My parents’ desire for us to be part of sports was less about being on a specific team and more about encouraging us to be passionate about something. Acting had that same effect on me, but my parents didn’t fully realize that until I was in high school.

Before I went to St Mark’s, I attended a small private school with about 16 people in my grade. Everyone was an athlete. I was the one artsy kid who would have to leave school early one day to go to a rehearsal for a play, and I always felt a little bit ostracized because no one really knew what to do with that. My friends at that age—fourth through sixth grade— didn’t know how to handle the kid who wanted to do plays. It was much easier for everyone to understand, ‘Oh let’s go play flag football during PE,’ and I had no interest in that. I had to learn to really stand up for what my passion was so that I could stay true to myself.”

How did your involvement in acting change when you entered St. Mark’s?

“When I went to St Mark’s, there was a little bit of that feeling of being an outsider because I didn’t know how I was going to fit into the artistic community.

Then, when I entered high school, I just really blossomed and found a really cool group of friends and had amazing experiences in the fine arts department of St Mark’s. That’s really where the vision I had for myself started to be the vision that my parents, and also my friends had for me. That was a beautiful discovery,

26

FOCUS ALUMNI

but my desire to do theater in a pretty athletic family and a very traditional town that Dallas is, kind of turned me into an independently thinking, strong-minded person. I wouldn’t change any of that.”

What are some of the skills an actor has to develop to provide an engaging experience for the audience?

“An actor’s job is to recreate an authentic human experience on stage, so that the audience can view an actor’s work and say, ‘Oh I know what that feels like,’ and an audience member can put themselves in the place of that actor. We as a society view that work that the actor does as somewhat simple. In fact, the work of recreating an authentic human experience and authentic human actions is really technical and very difficult because you’re basically reverse engineering an emotional experience.”

What was the feeling you got when you landed your first big role?

“Something about that experience was very existential for me. Any time I get a role that feels significant to me, for that matter, the first people I want to call are my parents. That conversation with them is more vivid than any notification or call that I get from the casting directors.

Being the one kid in the family who took the unconventional path of becoming an artist, it’s very rewarding to be able to report back home that this big scary industry is choosing to recognize my work. It feels like I’m able to pay back my parents just a little bit for all of the trust that they have put in me ever since I started going to auditions when I was five.”

WHAT HE DOES: ACTOR

TRAINING:

USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

TAUBERT NADALINI ACTOR

E

ven from a young age, Taubert Nadalini ‘13 knew what he wanted to do.

It isn’t a job where one can effortlessly move up the ranks.

It isn’t a job that’s full of guaruntees.

It definitely isn’t a job that’s easy.

But there’s nothing he would rather do.

PERSONAL FULFILLMENT AND DEVELOPEMENT STEMMING FROM THE ENVIRONMENT OF ACTING

You mentioned how intimidating the acting world can be. Did you ever consider quitting your career?

“Yes. Any time your career involves putting yourself on the line, especially when you’re doing very personal work, it can be easy to tether personal validation to the success of whatever the product of that work is. In high school, I got a lot of lead roles, which came with praise from peers and faculty members, but that was just a microcosm of the acting world. As soon as I set foot into the real professional scene, it was me against 50,000 other look-alikes. I had to go on a journey of learning to untether my own self worth and pride in the work that I do from the expectation that I would get praise from casting directors or success through getting a role. So basically, you think about quitting a lot because you start to ask yourself, ‘How much do I value the work that I do, and am I able to compartmentalize my value to the degree where I don’t need someone else’s approval to continue to keep doing it?’”

What’s the most common assumption that people make about your job?

People have often expressed to me that my career may be viewed as a nonessential vanity exercise. I respond that while it is a vanity exercise for people who want a career for fame and money, those of us who take the craft seriously are far from doing this for ourselves, especially in the beginning of our careers where there’s a lot of work put in and little reward in return. Art and plays are extremely important because if humanity doesn’t have anything reflected back to us, we will be a little more blind, a little more ignorant and have a little less love for each other.”

NADALINI’S

CREDITS A quick look at Nadlini’s acting roles over the years.

THIS IS US

Played Leo in the Emmy award-winning shows’ 9th episode of its 5th season: “The Ride”.

THE LION IN WINTER

Played Philip in the family rivalry drama, performed at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California in 2019.

STERLING

Played a student in the TV Short based in West Texas, which streamed on HBO in 2019.

BRIGHT STAR

Played Billy Cane in the early 1900s-based story, which was performed at Musical Theatre West in 2018.

STORY Arjun Khatti, Grayson Redmond, Myles Lowenberg PHOTOS courtesy Taubert Nadalini

SOURCE Taubert Nadalini

TAKING THE STAGE In addition to his television roles, Nadalini (right) also has many credits in theater productions, like Philip in The Lion in Winter.

Nadalini’s roles have taken him all over the country, to places like New York, Los Angeles, and even Disneyland.

WORKING TO SUSTAIN FOCUS

27

S

A PASSION FOR

SERVICE After working for many different hospitals and schools all over the world, nurse Julie Doerge found her way here, where she uses her experiences to help Marksmen, day in and day out.

Doerge didn’t always see herself becoming a nurse.

At first, she wanted to become a teacher. It was after much encouragement that she eventually decided to make the switch.

“My grandfather was an eye doctor,” Julie said. “He always encouraged me to think about medicine. Then, in high school, my best friend’s dad was the head of the Children’s Hospital in Detroit and a surgeon. He encouraged me to come and be a volunteer, and I did and loved it. I knew then that I wanted to be a nurse.”

After graduating high school with her sights set on nursing, Doerge attended Ferris University in Michigan,

where she got her degree in nursing. From there, she leapt into the job market.

“I knew early on I only wanted to do pediatrics, so my first job was at Children’s Hospital in Detroit,” Doerge said. “I worked on a surgical unit and then on a cancer unit.”

It was in that cancer unit that Doerge had her fateful first encounter with death. After moving on from that job, Doerge met her husband, producing an unlikely connection that formed the next stage of her career.

“Then, I met my husband, who was a teacher at a private school in Bloomfield Hills in Michigan,” Doerge said. “The head of the counseling department met me at a faculty party

READY TO SERVE Julie has served a variety of groups in many different places, from cancer patients in Detroit, to school children in Switzerland and finally to Marksmen in Dallas.

28

FOCUS FACULTY & STAFF

JULIE DOERGE HEEALTHCARE

I

s it okay if I go to the bathroom?”

A question 22-year-old Julie Doerge heard hundreds of times a day while working in the cancer unit of Children’s Hospital in Detroit. A question she had developed an almost automatic response to.

“Sure,” she told the mother of a patient. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

Yet, when the mother returned, she found her daughter lying lifeless on the bed.

Although a far more dramatic scene than what she now regularly deals with, memories like these still influence Doerge today as she navigates through new challenges in new environments.

After all, what’s the present without the past?

HER CALLING: SCHOOL NURSE

COUNTRIES WORKED IN: UNITED STATES, SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

BEING A GOOD GLOBAL CITIZEN

S

A HELPING

HAND

Here are some basic logistical facts about becoming a nurse.

$52,829

Average base annual salary for a school nurse in the United States

2 years

Typical length of schooling to get an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

194,500

Approximate number of job openings for nurses per year SOURCE Indeed.com, Goodwin University, United States Bureau of Labor in May and said, ‘Hey, do you want to be the nurse at the girl’s school?” I was like, ‘Okay,’ and that was it. I went to the girls’ school that fall.”

After a brief stint nursing at the school and a short return to the hospital, Doerge decided to expand her horizons and trot the globe for a while.

“My husband and I were interested in going overseas, so we moved to Lugano, Switzerland, where I was the school nurse at a private American school called Tasis,” Doerge said. “We were there for a year, and then we went to London for three years, and I was a school nurse there.”

After coming back to Switzerland to teach in the mountains for a few more years, Doerge eventually decided to move back.

“When we came back to Philadelphia, I knew I couldn’t get a school position,” Doerge said, “so I went back into hospital nursing and worked in the ICU at the Children’s Hospital in Philly.”

When Doerge eventually made her way to Dallas, she was met with a Hockaday job interview loaded with déjà vu.

“We were coming in from the airport from Philly to Dallas, and the headmistress at Hockaday said, ‘Julie, would you like a job?’ I said yes, and she said, ‘Okay, you’re hired.’”

After working for ten years at Hockaday, Doerge spent six more as a school nurse at Lamplighter before eventually making her way to St. Mark’s. Here, she found that her prior experience working in emergency rooms would come in handy.

“We had another one of our guys get hit in the face during a baseball game,” Doerge said. “His injury was pretty traumatic, and we thought he might have had what’s called

a blowout fracture. That can be really complicated, so I was grateful I had done some emergency room work in Detroit.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and schools scrambled to put measures into place, Doerge found that her time teaching at Lamplighter yielded a valuable connection.

“I was grateful to Dr. Wendy Chung, who was one of my parents at Lamplighter and who was the head epidemiologist at Dallas County,” Doerge said. “She invited me to join her school team down there for two summers in a row. That really helped inform me and my practice and gave me the ability to bring that home to St. Mark’s.”

Even as far back as nursing school, Doerge still applies principles she learned early on to her vocational and social relationships today.

“One of my teachers in nursing school said that we had to work the hardest on the most difficult patients - that we had to

go in with a smile, even though they were more complicated, even though they weren’t easy,” Doerge said. “I think it’s the same with students and with faculty. It’s always in my mind to be kind and gracious to everybody who walks through my door, even if I know they’re going to be a little more difficult.”

To Doerge, the most important thing about moving forward is maintaining past relationships.

“Be kind to everybody, and don’t burn any bridges,” Doerge said. “We never know when we might have to cross those bridges together.”

STORY Will Spencer, Grayson Redmond PHOTOS courtesy Julie Doerge A PASSION FOR SERVICE FOCUS

29

C

PULLING BACK THE

CURTAINS

Whether through gritty stories of strife and suffering or through fictional tales of extremism, Sidney Balman Jr. ‘76 makes his money by striving to tell compelling stories.

For Balman, although his initial forays in journalism required incredible persistence and effort, he found the experiences incredibly enriching.

“I did an internship at the Dallas Times Herald, which doesn’t exist anymore,” Balman said. “At the time, it was a big paper like the Dallas Morning News. My favorite beat I covered was the Metro desk, which was crime— basically cop shop stuff. It was really cool, sitting in the basement of the Dallas Police Station just going through police reports and pulling one out and finding a story.”

As the Iraq War began, many opportunities opened up for journalists to take part in the conflict. Tiring of his work as an intern, Balman convinced Time Magazine to bring him on, and before he knew it, he was on a plane to Turkey.

“In most wars, I was embedded in American or NATO forces, doing the same things that the soldiers would do,” Balman said. “It always seemed peaceful but would suddenly get really dangerous. Sometimes there’d be firefights or investigations, but, the rest of the time, you’re scrounging around for stories. There were very few mass opportunities to get stories—the UN would have a news conference every now and then, but most of the time your job in the field was to find these anecdotes and to bring life to the war. It was there that I realized that we are all just small pieces in a very large story.”

Though covering the larger scope of the war was an important part of Balman’s job, he also had many memorable human experiences with the locals.

“In Syria, during the Bosnian War, we were

30

FOCUS ALUMNI

TAKING POINT Leaning back, Balman brandishes a rifle while traveling with soldiers in Serb-occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina. As a war journalist, Balman spent his time in active warzones right next to the soldiers themsevles.

going through an apartment with some soldiers to clear it of snipers,” Balman said, “and, as we went into one of these apartments, I heard cartoons. There was no electricity—the dad had rigged a system where he could generate electricity by pedaling a bike attached to a generator. And he would ride on that so his kids could watch cartoons in the morning before they went to school. It’s that dedication to family life and normalcy that, even in a warzone, I remember so clearly.”

After his time as a war journalist, a lucky break put Balman in a position far beyond his expectations.

“A couple months later, when I was trying to figure things out living in Washington, DC, [a former colleague] called me up and said, ‘Hey, Sid, I was promoted to Washington Bureau Chief. How would you like my old job?’” Balman said. “I was 27, 28 at the time, so to be offered to be a Diplomatic and National Security Correspondent was just an incredible stroke of luck. I said yes on the spot.”

In this new position, Balman’s job was to both write about large issues and to accompany important politicians at diplomatic meetings.

“That position had two pieces to it: One was to cover the wars and big international conflicts like those in Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia,

WHAT HE DOES:

JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

COUNTRIES VISITED:

BOSNIA, GAZA, INDIA, IRAQ, JORDAN, PAKISTAN, RUSSIA, SOMALIA, SUDAN, SYRIA, TURKEY

BOOKS WRITTEN: SEVENTH FLAG, MURMURATION

JOURNALIST SIDNEY BALMAN JR.

T

he Sidney Balman Jr. ‘76 who spent his nights interning for the local paper couldn’t have foreseen the combat scenes, Pulitzer Prize nominations, and chats with Bill Clinton that awaited him.

But the man who once sat in the basement of a police department going through files and the man who now reclines in a university office chair have something in common: No matter how hectic the situation, how long the hours or how far away the place, finding and telling important, compelling stories is what matters to him most.

Kosovo, Rwanda, and the Middle East,” Balman said, “and then also to travel with Presidents Bush and Clinton when they went overseas on missions, and with Secretaries of State Jim Baker, Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright.”

After this period of time writing and advising for the government, Balman began to launch his own forays as the internet became increasingly influential.

“As the web began to emerge, I switched over to the business side of things: I was doing communications mostly for international organizations,” Balman said. “I started my own firm and sold it. I made another firm and developed a specialty in what they call behavior change communication, which is particularly focused on violent radicalism.”

With a few phenomenal connections and some serious backing behind his name, Balman’s firm began to attract important clients.

“That experience landed me my final corporate job,” Balman said.

“They wanted this division to focus on ways to mitigate outbreaks of violent extremism, whether it be in Mali or even in the United States.

One of our biggest clients was the US government.”

After decades working with the US government, a change in the presidential administration proved unbearable for Balman.

“That type of work is highly influenced by politics,” Balman said.

“Under the Obama administration, they approached that in a way that I agree with — as sort of a public health approach. But when Trump was elected, that all changed. I didn’t care to get involved in that, so I stepped off the train.”

Now as a writer-in-residence at Sul Ross State University, Balman teaches his lessons about journalism and storytelling to new students.

“I have a classroom of students who are far-right to far-left — from

Trumpers to hyper liberals,” Balman said. “I try to create a non-judgmental environment where everybody’s safe to express what they want without ridicule or judgment.”

While teaching classes, Balman has authored the first two books of the Seventh Flag trilogy of historical fiction books, titled Seventh Flag and Murmuration.

“All the books draw very heavily on my experiences,” Balman said, “whether it’s Iraq or Bosnia or Somalia — or even West Texas or Minnesota, with the emergence of white terrorism in this country, which plays deeply in the second book.”

To Balman, the fulfillment he received from pursuing his passion of journalism was far more important than the salary the job paid.

“A lot of my friends were working on Wall Street, being real estate brokers in Texas or in the petroleum industry,” Balman said. “They made a lot more money than I did, so, early on, career satisfaction was more important to me than making a lot of money in the short term. I’ve always lived by the motto that the most committed win.”

That being said, Balman’s decision to become a journalist certainly wasn’t made without money in mind. “[My father-in-law] said that the average salary for an employed journalist in the United States is $13,000 a year,” Balman said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be making millions of dollars right off the bat, but, if you do it long enough, you get a lot of benefits if you stick with it.”

To Balman, the most important thing for an aspiring writer is persistence.

“If you want to do anything, just stick with it,” Balman said. “Get up when you get knocked down, and just keep punching.”

STORY Will Spencer, Jonathan Yin, Austin Williams PHOTOS courtesy Sidney Balman

UPPER CRUST Balman (right) chats with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Spokesman of the Department of State Nicholas Burns in the US State Department.

EN ROUTE Balman (center) speaks with Reuters correspondent Alan Elsner (right) while on a plane headed for Russia. As a national security correspondent, travel was a constant in Balman’s life.

After spending time as a war journalist, traveling to unfamiliar places had grown familiar to him.

PULLING BACK THE CURTAINS FOCUS

31

P

A PASSION TO

PERFORM From Taiwan to Texas, Dr. Melody Ouyang has mastered the piano and showcased her talents through performance. Now, Ouyang serves as the director of the Music Institute of North Texas.

A

t the age of 13, Dr. Melody Ouyang was sent off to a far away land to pursue her passion.

She didn’t have her parents. She didn’t speak the language. She didn’t even know the alphabet.

All she had was her younger sister and a visa to study music.

Alone in New York City, she was forced to grow up quickly.

Soon enough, she had graduated from The Juilliard School and received her masters in music from Yale University.

Today, she is the director of her very own musical institution, teaching children across North Texas the very skills she’s strived to perfect over her lifetime.

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FOCUS FAMILY

thing you don’t realize is that you have to travel a lot, and the traveling really stressed me out. That made me realize maybe it’s not for me.”

After graduating from high school and precollege, Ouyang received her undergraduate degree in music from The Juilliard School and pursued her masters in music from Yale University. This is where she discovered her passion for teaching.

“Throughout my undergrad years, I always taught,” Ouyang said, “but, because I went to a performance school, they actually didn’t really teach us how to teach. So, for my first job, they paid me $9 an hour to teach kids. I taught a lot of students on the weekends, so I really learned how to teach on my own.”

While she was still performing occasionally, Ouyang found success in her private lessons.

“As I got better at it, I had better students, and a lot of them started winning competitions and got into Juilliard Pre-College or other programs,” Ouyang said. “So, I kind of felt like teaching was becoming my thing, even though I was still performing on my contract.”

After graduating from Yale, Ouyang was met with three options: performing, teaching privately or teaching at a university.

“After I got married and moved to Texas, I wanted to find a job at a university, but I thought that maybe I should just teach privately and see how it goes,” Ouyang said.

“It was very hard to get students in the beginning, and then, slowly, my students started doing very well in their events and competitions, so I started accumulating a lot of students.”

In fact, Ouyang had so much success that, 11 years ago, she took a leap and founded the Music Institute of North Texas in Frisco.

WHAT SHE DOES:

MELODY OUYANG PIANIST

Ouyang began her music career by playing piano alongside her mother in Taiwan.

“I started when I was very young, probably two or three,” Ouyang said. “My mother was a piano teacher. I used to climb up on the piano chair after her students left and play with one finger the tunes that I heard.”

Although she had no idea what to expect or what the school even looked like, her dream was always to attend The Juilliard School in New York City, a world-renowned music institution. When a professor from the school visited Taiwan and listened to her play, he encouraged her to apply, but she still didn’t have the necessary visa to leave Taiwan.

“They have competitions for the whole country, and only the winner of their category can get a visa to go out and study,” Ouyang said. “I was the lucky one who won the competition.”

So, at 13, Ouyang traveled with her 11-yearold sister halfway across the globe to the Big Apple. There, she auditioned for and was admitted into The Juilliard Pre-College Division with a full scholarship; however, she still couldn’t communicate effectively in this foreign country.

“Language was a different issue for me,” Ouyang said. “My parents specifically put me in a school where there were no other Chinese students. It was obviously very hard to be in a different country, not speaking the language at all and starting over without your parents, but I just really loved it, and the piano really kept me going.”

As she got older, Ouyang was able to completely focus on music and found herself almost always on stage.

“I was performing close to 100 concerts a year and sculpting my dream because I always wanted to be on stage,” Ouyang said. “One

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF MUSIC INSTITUTE OF NORTH TEXAS, PIANIST

INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED:

THE JULLIARD SCHOOL, YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC, HARMONY ROAD MUSIC CENTER

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

BEING SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU CONTRIBUTE TO YOURSELF AND YOUR COMMUNITY

NOTEWORTHY NUMBERS

Household humbers about instrument playing

239,000

woodwind instruments sold in 2020

54%

of households have a member who plays at least one musical instrument

233,200 stringed instruments sold in 2020

168,000 brass instruments sold in 2020

SOURCE Gallup, Statista “Back then, my kids were two and four, so I was looking for a program for them,” Ouyang said. “I grew up in a preschool program where we learned harmonies and music introductory courses, but I couldn’t find one that was really good in Dallas. So, I actually got myself trained in Oregon for this very specific program called Harmony Road. Then, I said, ‘Well, why don’t I start one?’ I drove around, found a piece of land and said, ‘Let’s build a school here.’”

While preparing for this new endeavor, she read countless books about how to operate a business. Ouyang said she learned a lot from studying the McDonald’s enterprise.

“The music institute is a school, but it’s also a business,” Ouyang said. “Of course, I’ve never been in any kind of business school before, so I always tell people that I operate based on common sense and what I think is best for the students. I believe if you have a good product, people will come to you, and

STROKING THE KEYS

you don’t have to sell it too hard.”

When Ouyang first set out, she wrote an extensive manual that the company now operates by. The institution’s two principal missions are to build strong foundations and provide a goal-oriented environment.

“A lot of the time, parents don’t think they need the best teachers when they’re beginners, but, when you’re a beginner, you need to find excellent teachers. Once you learn bad habits, it’s really hard to break them,” Ouyang said. “We also believe that when students have goals, they are more likely to want to work harder to reach those goals.”

For Ouyang, music has never been about money or fame. It’s always been about passion.

“For piano or any form of art, I think it’s really passion-driven because you spend so much time practicing and everything,” Ouyang said. “We used to practice piano up to eight hours a day, so you have to really enjoy it a lot.

And, you may not actually get the reward that you want because most of us don’t make as much as lawyers or doctors.”

Ouyang says that the biggest lessons she’s learned from playing piano are perseverance and grit.

“You can practice for a program for a year, and then not do well at the competition. Your whole year feels wasted,” Ouyang said. “It’s like the Olympics. Whether the outcome is good or bad, you must deal with it, start over again and try to get better.”

Ouyang’s idea of success is simple: one must define it for themselves.

“I think you define success on your own terms,” Ouyang said. “You can always do better, but I think you have to periodically tell yourself that you’re successful when you complete something in order for you to move forward to be even more successful. If you set your bar really high, you’ll never reach it, and you’ll eventually feel like you’re a failure. Being successful is being satisfied with what you’re able to do for yourself, your family and your surrounding community.”

Now in her 12th year with the Music Institute of North Texas, Ouyang oversees operations of the company and likes to spend her free time volunteering at her children’s schools. Ouyang is the proud mother of freshman cellist Jaden Ouyang and Hockaday 7th-grader and pianist Kaitlyn Ouyang.

“I think music is really the best gift you can ever give to a child because, if you understand music, it’s a huge part of humanity,” Ouyang said. “When I go to concerts, I enjoy it beyond belief. Those are feelings that I wish a lot of people could share.”

STORY Peter Orsak PHOTOS Courtesy Melody Ouyang

Ouyang plays the piano at her performance at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson.

A PASSION TO PERFORM FOCUS

33

G

PRESTON ROAD’S RESIDENT

GUARDIAN Director of Security Dale Hackbarth has long known that a desk job just isn’t for him. Instead, he chose a career that kept him out and about — a job serving the city with the Dallas Police Department that he held nearly three decades. Now, he’s out and about at St. Mark’s.

D

uring the hustle and bustle of school life, campus is astir with life: from August through May, visitors can spectate sweaty football games on the Quad, animated discussions around Harkness tables and Marksmen scrambling to conclude essays before the end of the day.

But no matter how busy campus life gets, every community member — students, teachers, administrators — takes a break at some point in the year.

Everyone, that is, except for Director of Security Dale Hackbarth and his team. Rain or shine, day or night — Hackbarth and fellow security administrators keep campus secure “24/7/365.”

34

FOCUS FACULTY & STAFF

Hackbarth set his eyes on a much larger service — one he could perform wearing a badge.

“I always respected and admired my brother who was a police officer in Dallas,” Hackbarth said. “He convinced me to give law enforcement a try. I moved down to Dallas and joined the academy within the year — 1985. It was the best decision I ever made. Becoming a Dallas police officer was very rewarding and satisfying.”

For nearly three decades afterward, Hackbarth donned the blue uniform of Dallas’s finest.

Hackbarth spent his first five years on patrol, the majority of his service consisting of Special Operations assignments, including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operations.

Hackbarth served in many dangerous missions, carrying out drug warrants, arresting criminals and taking a bullet in a raid in 2006. Hackbarth’s Special Operations force was even filmed in Dallas SWAT, a reality television series that followed squads such as Hackbarth’s.

“Over the course of my 28 years on the department, 23 of those in Special Operations, I had the privilege to train and execute operations with some of the best operators this city could have,” Hackbarth said. “Former military, hardworking, dedicated, honest and powerful people that strive to protect and serve this community no matter what. I am happy to say some of those people are working here with me today.”

During these years, he started his professional relationship with the school.

“This relationship with St. Mark’s goes back about 28 years ago when I worked as one of the uniform police officers for athletic and special events,” Hackbarth said. “It did not

DALE HACKBARTH SECURITY

“Our campus is a continual buzz of activity with construction and repair crews, visiting dignitaries — yes, Grandparents are VIPs — and a constant flow of parents,” Hackbarth said. “We greet a variety of people from other schools — athletes and coaches, participants in fine arts, debate and science events.”

Additionally, the daily ebb and flow of students coming and going presents unique challenges for Hackbarth and his staff.

“The morning and afternoon carpools are my biggest concerns,” Hackbarth said. “There are many moving parts during these times requiring all hands-on deck for my staff. The safety of the students and visitors is our primary concern.”

And because of his constant presence, to most around campus, Hackbarth’s face is a familiar one. Whether it be walking through the parking lot in the morning or hurrying to the lunch line, Marksmen, teachers and parents alike are greeted by Hackbarth’s smile.

“I love coming to work every day,” Hackbarth said. “I enjoy the daily interaction with the students, parents and faculty. I start my day with a cup of coffee and the smiling faces of the students during carpool.”

But while Hackbarth has helped protect campus since 2013, his distinguished career in security and service dates decades before even seniors were born.

Where did the protector of 10600 get his start? Believe it or not, at a publishing company.

“My first job I had after college was working for Rand McNally Publishing Co. as a customer service representative in Evanston, [Illinois],” Hackbarth said. “I lasted one year, and it was a mutual parting of ways. I learned what I did not want to do, and that was sit behind a desk in a cubicle.”

WHAT HE DOES: DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS SECURITY

PAST JOBS:

DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT SWAT OFFICER, CUSTOMER SERVICE

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

SERVING AND PROTECTING Before he was a familiar face on campus, Hackbarth served nearly three decades in public law enforcement for the Dallas Police Department. Hackbarth’s Special Operations force was even filmed in Dallas SWAT, a reality television series that followed SWAT operations.

take long for me to realize how special this place is. I signed up for as many shifts as the school would give me.”

Hackbarth’s connection with the community grew quickly, and Hackbarth began to see a new path in his career.

“The faculty, staff, students, and parents treated me as part of the school family,” Hackbarth said. “The friendship and trust grew throughout the years. As my career with Dallas Police was beginning to wind down, I made it known that I would be interested in a permanent position with the school.”

Sure enough, the administration reached out to Hackbarth.

“I received a phone call early in 2013 on a Sunday afternoon asking if I could make a meeting with the headmaster, which was Arnie Holtberg at that time,” Hackbarth said. “I remember him asking me about my plans following retirement and if I would be interested in becoming the head of security.

I could not say yes fast enough. It has been a privilege to continue to grow and build an outstanding department.”

At first, the sheer amount of new people proved to be a difficult adjustment for Hackbarth. “[It was challenging] learning all the names and faces — students, teachers, and parents,” Hackbarth said. “There are over 900 students and 200 faculty and staff!”

Yet, for Hackbarth, this was a good problem to have.

“The exposure to so many fine people

ON SITE Hackbarth (second to left) and fellow operatives stand in front of a house after a raid.

and building meaningful relationships with staff, parents, and students,” Hackbarth said.

“Watching a Lower School student advance to Upper School and graduation. Being able to cheer the Lions to victory in so many different competitions — sports, music, performing arts, science and debate. The connections in the community when I see families at the grocery store or running errands. The list could go on.”

So, while sipping his coffee each morning, Hackbarth looks around in gratitude.

“Success can be defined in many ways,” Hackbarth said. “I have my health, a beautiful family, abundance of friends, love for my God and live in the best country.”

STORY Toby Barrett, Nikhil Dattatreya PHOTOS Courtesy Dale Hackbarth

MISSION COMPLETE Hackbarth lead his own SWAT Operations squad before beginning his current job as Director of Security on campus.

10600 PRESTON ROAD’S RESIDENT GUARDIAN FOCUS

35

A MAN FULL OF

W

WISDOM Gjon Nivica Jr. worked his way up the legal ranks rapidly and now, at 57, is retired from law and spends most of his time with his family or working as a consultant. Nivica sat down with us to share some of the valuable lessons he’s learned along the way.

I spent two years doing M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) work, and the general counsel of the company said, “Hey, you’re 32 years old. How would you like to go run the legal department in our largest division?”

It was a bit of a risk because you’re young, and you’re too young for that position, but you take the leap and see what you can do, and ultimately it worked out well.

Money is a means to what end? The end is the most limited commodity we have as humans: time; and how you want to spend your time.

I came from very modest means and never wanted to lack the ability to do things, as opposed to acquire things. I didn’t want to be in a place where you couldn’t essentially have the freedom money affords. Ultimately, that’s the benefit of money.

MONEY WAS NEVER THE END. IT WAS JUST A WAY OF KEEPING SCORE.

WHAT HE DOES: SENIOR ADVISOR, CONSULTANT, RETIRED LAWYER

LAW YER

GJON NIVICA JR.

Gjon Nivica Jr., father of junior Zach Nivica

36

PAST EXPERIENCE:

So, I had the opportunity to retire, and spend time with what were then two pretty young children. I was able to transition into doing advisory work and take a lot of the lessons learned and utilize those experiences in a consulting firm.

There’s a lot of money in becoming a specialist, but the problem with it is that you basically know more and more about less and less, and your world gets very narrow –– and as the old joke goes –– until you become CEO of the company and know absolutely nothing about everything.

SENIOR VP AND GENERAL COUNSEL AT A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY AND A FORTUNE 100 COMPANY

I think for any career that you enter into, ultimately the highest expression is being the one that’s thoughtful and generative, as opposed to simply an automaton, cog in the wheel, applying or memorization. All those things aren’t very satisfying. And as you get farther along in your career, you find more opportunities to play in that kind of strategic, generative realm.

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

I make time for work now. Because I’m in a position in venture capital and as a consultant, you pick your spots –– you pick the companies that you want to interact with. And my time is more or less overwhelmingly dedicated to family.

SUCCESS IS ABOUT BEING HELPFUL

FOCUS FAMILY / ALUMNI

The interesting aspect of becoming a doctor, lawyer or even business school, is it will punish you if you think you want to pursue it just for the money. If you’re not passionate about the end goal and reaching it, that process will grind you down, and people will either selfselect out, or they’ll put up with the misery and become miserable.

It’s the Steve Jobs test. If you wake up enough times and look at yourself in the mirror and say, “Am I going to have fun today?” And if the answer is no, not because of the work necessarily, then you need to think about what you’re doing in that space.

Make sure that you’re finding a culture that matches your personality.

Make certain you enjoy the people wherever you find yourself. I’ve never met anyone being honored at any retirement gathering that didn’t say, “It’s always been about the people.”

I like to say you should treat everybody differently because everyone’s different –– be empathic to their situation, their context; try to understand where they’re coming from.

In addition to pursuing a career, you have to prioritize time for what is truly important in order to achieve “success” worthy of the name.

In my view, there is no greater vocation than being a dad.

I think success is about being helpful. You want to be useful, and to an end that’s causing people to flourish. Ultimately, that will lead to one’s own success, not because it’s being pursued but because it’s a consequence.

I knew I would make money, and I wanted to make money, but it was never the end. It was just a way of keeping score.

INTERVIEW Peter Orsak, Nikhil Dattatreya, Aaron Augustine, PHOTOS Courtesy Gjon Nivica Jr.

INVESTING IN

HIMSELF I

A long career in investment banking has taught Fraser Marcus ‘72 a lot more than the common misconception of becoming a millionaire overnight.

t’s 3:00 a.m.

What could you possibly be doing at 3:00 a.m? Playing video games?

Listening to music? Maybe, sleeping?

Early on in his investment-banking career, Fraser Marcus ‘72 would have been sitting at a printer, proofing documents in the middle of a big deal.

Only to have to prepare for the 100-hour work week that lies ahead. Starting with an 8:00 a.m. team meeting the same day.

“It’s exciting stuff,” Marcus said, “but you want to move on from that pretty quickly. You just grind it out in the early days and you’re always at the office with a day off every once in a while on the weekend. For the most part, you can get off Saturday morning and maybe get in a run or workout or game of squash.

From there, it’s straight back in the office to work most of the day and go back in on Sunday and then start over again on Monday.”

Marcus, father of sophomore Nolan Marcus, made the decision to work on Wall Street when he was 26 years old. With no MBA, finding a job was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, Marcus was able to interview at five investment banks before taking a job at JP Morgan.

“Initially, my view was that I would work for a year or two and then defer my admission to law school,” Marcus said. “I never ended up going to law school. I was lucky to have been promoted fairly early in my career and spent three and a half years at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company (now JP Morgan).

I was offered a job at a firm called Salomon Brothers in late 1979, and I spent the next 14 years split between New York and London.”

Working for Salomon Brothers allowed Marcus to travel around the world and learn more about being an investment banker.

“I was able to have an opportunity to work on a number of really interesting transactions,” Marcus said. “I wound up spending a year in Latin America, while our headquarters were posted in London, working on billions and billions of dollars of financing transactions for

the Latin American government. It was a great experience really early on.”

An experience that helped Marcus understand the importance of precision.

“Everything is about incredible attention to detail,” Marcus said. “You have to be able to comprehend an enormous amount of detail at once about every transaction you’re working on at any point in time.”

Another must-have skill is proper time management, a skill that Marcus believes he developed at St. Mark’s.

“You have to manage your time perfectly well all the time,” he said. “You have to be able to recognize what has to be done by what day and plan ahead so that you’re not caught at the last minute.”

Applying the knowledge he had gained, Marcus was able to start and own companies with his other work partners.

“There are thousands of things an investment banker does, and not all investment bankers work for big investment banks,” Marcus said. “I don’t any longer. I work for myself. I have my own business, and I have several businesses. My training as an investment banker has helped me focus on the things that I can do well in the context of the businesses in which I’m involved.”

The wisdom Marcus gained from owning his own companies helped him see that a strong sense of self-worth combined with humility are essential to success.

“You won’t accomplish anything without believing in yourself,” Marcus said. “There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence.

You need to stay on the right side of that line.

You have to be in a position to listen very well to other people and to work collaboratively with a team to achieve an objective, while steering away from the lowest common denominator. No one’s going to believe in you unless you believe in yourself ”

WHAT HE DOES: INVESTMENT BANKER

LANGUAGES SPOKEN:

ENGLISH, FRENCH, ITALIAN, SPANISH

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

WORKING WELL WITH OTHERS TO ACCOMPLISH A COMMON GOAL.

STORY Dillon Wyatt, Zack Goforth PHOTOS courtesy Fraser Marcus

FRASER MARCUS

INVESTOR A MAN FULL OF WISDOM / INVESTING IN HIMSELF FOCUS

37

F

ON AND OFF THE

FIELD

After playing in the NFL, earning his law degree and teaching history, Head Varsity Football Coach Harry Flaherty has seemingly done it all.

RUNNING THE PLAY Flaherty played in the NFL for two years during his football career.

Known primarily for his role as Head Varsity Football Coach, Flaherty is also heavily involved in the academic arena.

“I think that people are eager to sort of put you into one box or another,” he said.

“But I believe in trying to pursue excellence in multiple areas of life, and I think I’ve been impacted by people who have spoken into my life in more than one area.”

Football runs in Flaherty’s family; in fact, three of his uncles were Dallas Cowboys coaches at the same time.

Both his father and grandfather also came from athletic backgrounds.

“My dad works in full time ministry with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” Flaherty said, “so his life’s work has been about using the avenue of sports to positively impact young people. My grandfather was a lifelong coach in college and professional football, who really stressed the opportunity to increase your academic options through the opportunities that come through the sport of football. [They] really set a great example of not having to pick or choose or settle.”

From the very beginning, Flaherty’s family set him up for success, not only in athletics, but in other areas of life as well.

“I had a lot of really good examples early on of people who challenged themselves to pursue excellence in multiple areas of life,” he said, “but also to use those gifts to make an impact on young people. That was a model for me.”

After graduating from Princeton University, Flaherty felt an itch to pursue a career in law after a tenure in the pro-athletic scene.

“When I graduated college, I had a couple

38

FOCUS ALUMNI

of brief opportunities to try my hand at pro football,” he said, “and I was fortunate to spend a very brief amount of time with some teams, but when I was done, I moved on to law school. I think it felt natural for me to go back to school as I still had an interest in history and in politics.”

Flaherty believes in a deeper connection with his passions, something that goes beyond a paycheck or promotion.

“I think there’s such a thing as a calling, or vocation,” he said. “ I definitely feel called to the work, but more than anything I feel prepared for the work.”

Although his high school and college days are long behind him, Flaherty believes he is still growing as a person.

“It’s not lost on me that I’m continuing to learn a lot of those same life lessons through doing this job,” he said. “And so that sort of lifelong learning and character development doesn’t end when you graduate high school or graduate college. It’s an ongoing process.”

Reflecting on his journey to this point, he feels fortunate to have received opportunities and support throughout his life.

“Not everybody works in a career path where they feel a true sense of passion,” Flaherty said. “I don’t think everybody has to feel specifically called to their work, but I feel blessed that I have been prepared to be able to do this work. I do feel a sense that I can give back the gifts that have been given to me.”

STORY Nikhil Dattatreya, Zack Goforth and Ben Adams PHOTO courtesy Harry Flaherty

WHAT HE DOES:

HARRY FLAHERTY EDUCATOR

H

arry Flaherty finds that his success comes from much more than headlines or dollar bills. He believes success is more closely tied to the lessons we learn along the way. think success has to do with feeling that you are able to consistently give your best effort, and maintaining a growth mindset,” he said.

“It’s important that you find yourself in a line of work … where you’re motivated towards achievement, but you are also stimulated by the opportunity to learn, to grow [and] to improve through making mistakes and learning new lessons.”

HISTORY TEACHER & FOOTBALL COACH

INTERESTS:

POLITICS, FOOTBALL, HISTORY, LAW

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

BEING ABLE TO GIVE GIVE YOUR BEST EFFORT & MAINTAINING A GROWTH MINDSET.

FOR LIFE

Having worked at a magazine, written several books, and now teaching English at Washington University in St. Louis, Edward McPherson’s life has always been centered around writing.

A

writer’s assistant in Vermont. A freelance editor in New York. A writing professor in St. Louis.

Edward McPherson ‘95 has gone many places, met many people, and written many pieces.

A rural state and a big city. A magazine article and a nonfiction book.

Writing has been a passion and a constant in McPherson’s life.

And now he doesn’t feel like he’s working at all.

WHAT HE DOES: WRITER, PROFESSOR

WHERE HE TEACHES:

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

HOW MANY BOOKS HE’S WRITTEN: THREE

HIS DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND LOVING SOMETHING YOU DO WHILE ALSO STILL MAKING ENOUGH MONEY TO GET A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD AND SUPPLY WHATEVER CREATURE COMFORTS YOU WANT.

After graduating from Williams College with a degree in English in 1999, McPherson sought a job at an English-language newspaper in Argentina, where he studied abroad during his time at Williams. But after receiving no response to his many, many letters, McPherson instead went to work for a writer in his home office in Vermont.

“My first job out of college, I worked as a writer’s assistant, a job I didn’t even know existed,” McPherson said. “It was great because I got to watch firsthand what a writer did every day, and

EDWARD MCPHERSON WRITER/PROFESSOR

WRITING

it was super useful because it demystified the whole process. This guy was incredibly prolific. It was this whole business, but really what he wanted to do every day from nine to five was to sit at his desk and write. That was super useful for me to move writing beyond the creative thing I was doing -- when the wind was in my hair and I had my lucky pencil and I’d had the exact number of cups of coffee I needed to have and everything was just right -- into more of a workday kind of thing where you just show up and sitting your butt in the chair is half the job.”

FOR THE RIGHT REASON FOCUS

39

B

BY THE

BOOKS McPherson has written a number of novels, each with its claim to fame.

Here are just a few of them.

This biography celebrates one of cinema’s greatest clowns, painting a detailed portrait of the man behind the mayhem and offering a fresh look at the classic comedies that defined the Golden Age of silent film...

The biography reveals Keaton in his prime as an antic genius— equal parts auteur, innovator, prankster, and daredevil.

BUSTER KEATON: TEMPEST IN A FLAT HAT

In this spirited homage, Edward McPherson recounts the colorful history of bridge and His attempts to master its mysteries in time to compete at the North American Bridge Championships... The characters he meets convince him that in a game that pits mind against mind, close attention to the cards often reveals much about those sitting at the table.

THE BACKWASH SQUEEZE AND OTHER IMPROBABLE FEATS

What does it mean to think about Dallas in relationship to Dallas? In The History of the Future, McPherson reexamines American places and the space between history, experience, and myth... Americana slides into apocalypse in these essays, revealing us to ourselves.

THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

•••

SOURCE edwardmcpherson.net

40

FOCUS ALUMNI

McPherson took the opportunity.

“With all of this confidence of a 22, 23 year old, I said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I wrote a very short book proposal and I sent it to the guy, the editor came to town, I met him, and I’d sent him whatever clips I had written for the magazine, and kind of amazingly, they gave me a contract to write this book. They paid me in advance.

It wasn’t a ton, but it was enough for me to live on. I did all my research and wrote this thing in like a year, year and a half. Of course I did some freelance work on the side to help stretch out the money, but that was it. It was really just dumb luck.”

McPherson was stressed throughout the writing process, worrying that the publisher wouldn’t like the book and demand back the advance McPherson had been spending for the past 18 months. But his worries vanished when the book was approved and sold with great success.

McPherson believes that luck played a very key role in his writing and employment success. And luck that helps a career can be found even in the situations that seem the most unlucky.

“I think it was probably lucky at my first magazine job that the magazine folded after I’d been there long enough to get some experience,” McPherson said. “The next phase of my life, I was a freelancer. I would write a book, but in between the book publication or the research, I would be freelancing, either as an editor at some sort of magazine or startup or just writing pieces for publications. At the time, I was like, ‘oh God, I’m out of health insurance, I’m out of a job.’ It didn’t feel lucky, but that was lucky. I think getting the job at WashU was quite lucky.”

After some years working as a freelancer, McPherson went back to school. McPherson and his wife applied to graduate programs to receive an MFA in creative writing, he in fiction and his wife in nonfiction. He found a home at Washington University in St. Louis as a professor. There, McPherson was able to continue to write with a bit less pressure than he was before.

“I love being a writer, and the really great thing about my teaching job is that it takes off some of the pressure on the writing,” McPherson said. “I have a steady income, and I get health insurance. The university job lets me take my time with the projects I work on now. My books have been coming out slower now that I have this job. Personally, I think they’re better, because they’re not written in such haste and on deadline. Half my job is the writing, which I love, and all summer’s pretty much spent on writing. That’s when I get the biggest chunk of dedicated time to it.”

And in addition to being able to continue his writing career, McPherson was able to follow through on another passion of his: teaching.

“The other half is teaching, which is a really great compliment to the writing side because writing is a very solitary endeavor,” McPherson said. “You’re off on your own, you’re sitting in your hobbit hole wrestling with your own thoughts and feelings. And then the nice part about teaching is social, it’s collaborative. It informs my writing and vice versa. Even though I’m going to ‘work,’ as I’m walking or biking to campus, I think, ‘I can’t believe my job today is to read this book and then sit down with 12 other interested folks and just talk about it.’ That’s a great job.”

McPherson has earned multiple awards throughout his career, but even with the praise and validation that comes from such recognition, it all comes back to the money.

“Some of those awards are wonderful,” McPherson said. “The ones that come with money attached are extra wonderful. Most writers I know don’t want money because they want to buy a BMW, they want money so they can convert it to time. The ones that I truly treasure are the ones that come with some money, because then I can go do a research trip without having to pitch this as an article, get someplace to buy it, pay me upfront and then sort of use that as an excuse.

I can just go. You’re really looking for unrestricted money that you’re just going to convert into time.”

••• With three books published, more on the way and a steady career as a university professor teaching writing, McPherson has found a way to transform his passion into a job, his definition of “success.” But even with all his success in the literary world, McPherson still has just one piece of advice for people who want to be writers: just keep writing.

“My students are very nervous,” McPherson said, “and so they often ask, ‘do you think I have what it takes to make it? Do you think I could be a writer?’ And the honest answer is that I can’t tell, and I’ve heard this from people who’ve been teaching longer than me. You can’t predict who’s going to be successful. You can see who has talent. But the number one factor is ‘who keeps at it?’ It may take a while -- and that’s where that luck factors in.

Some people get breaks, and then some people toil for decades, and then finally get a break. But the ones that really love it and can’t not do it, I think it will happen for them.”

STORY Axel Icazbalceta PHOTOS Courtesy Edward McPherson

PROFESSOR

MEDIAN PAY: $80,560 US PROFESSORS IN 2020: 1,276,900 HIGHEST PAYING SUBJECTS: (1) - Law: $116,430 (2) - Economics: $107,260 (3) - Engineering: $103,600 (4) - Health specialties: $99,090 (5) - Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences: $94,520 (6) - Architecture: $90,880 (7) - Physics: $90,400 (8) - Agricultural sciences: $90,340 (9) - Anthropology and archeology: $89,220 (10) - Business: $88,010 MOST POPULAR SUBJECTS: (1) - Health specialties: 242,700 (2) - Art, drama, and music: 109,300 (3) - Business: 96,500 (4) - English language and literature: 75,000 (5) - Nursing: 72,600 (6) - Education: 70,000 (7) - Biological science: 60,500 (8) - Mathematics: 56,100 (9) - Engineering: 46,300 (10) - Psychology: 44,100

BIGGEST BOOK PUBLISHERS: (1) - Pearson (UK) (2) - RELX (UK) (3) - Thomson Reuters (CAN) (4) - Penguin Random House (USA) (5) - Hachette Livre (FRA) (6) - HarperCollins (USA) (7) - Macmillan Publishers (USA) (8) - Bertelsmann (GER) (9) - Scholastic Corporation (USA) (10) - McGraw-Hill Education (USA) BREAKDOWN OF WRITER EMPLOYMENT: (1) - Self-employed: 68% (2) - Professional, scientific, and technical services: 9% (3) - Information: 9% (4) - Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries: 3% (5) - Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations: 2%

SOURCE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, BIZVIBE, INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHER’S ASSOCIATION, PROACTIVE WRITER

BEING A

MOST PROFITABLE GENRES: (1) - Romance/erotica: $1.44 billion (2) - Crime/mystery: $728.2 million (3) - Religious/inspirational: $720 million)

WRITER

SOURCE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

US WRITERS IN 2020: 143,200

BEING A

MEDIAN PAY: $67,120

PROFESSOR VS. WRITER FOCUS

41

$$$$$

IS IT

HAPPINESS? MONEY? STATUS? FAMILY? GOALS? HEALTH? AWARDS? RECORDS? KNOWLEDGE? 42 So what is it?

You know, success.

A lot of people will define it as “personal happiness” or “doing what you want to do.”

Sure, that’s fine. So, follow up question: what do you want to do?

Make money? Maybe.

Start a family? Sure.

Live in a shack in the woods? Why not?

There are a million questions about it.

Does culture change what it means?

What about wealth?

What about your family?

We’ve written about cooks, coaches, musicians and managers. We asked all of them what their definition of success is.

But at the end of the day, there’s only one definition that matters.

So what is it?

MORGAN CHOW IAN DALRYMPLE editors-in-chief

FOCUS SO WHAT IS IT?

REMARKER

the e

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS 10600 PRESTON RD. DALLAS, TX 75230