The Summit Magazine Spring 2022

Alumni Inspire a Younger Generation

As a teenager, did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Choosing a course of study and eventually a career can seem overwhelming for young adults on the verge of high school graduation. For many, their knowledge about the incredible variety of choices is limited; they don’t know what they don’t know.

Enter our diverse alumni community.

Summit’s Upper School students are being inspired to envision their future careers as alumni from years past return to campus for the “Career Talks” speaker series orchestrated by Mark Osborne, alumni engagement and gifts officer, with input from Upper School administrators and College Counseling Assistant Director, Susan Miller. Every year, the lineup of speakers is carefully curated to represent a wide range of industries and professions.

November’s guest speaker was Frank Albi ’01, a Summit lifer and graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He described being in calculus class at the military academy on September 11, 2001, and the impact of the terrorist attacks on his college experience. He later served eight years in the Marine Corps, including two deployments to Iraq. Now a lawyer, he works as a staff attorney for US Customs and Border Protection in Chicago. His advice to students? "Whatever you are, be a good one."

Complementing Mr. Albi’s presentation was another guest, Summit parent Jaime Carazo, Special Agent in Charge with the US Secret Service’s Cincinnati Field Office. He talked about getting his start in technology and how he came to a career in federal law enforcement investigating financial crimes such as fraud. He urged students to do their research before choosing a major and to work internships while maintaining good grades during college for an advantage in the job market after graduation.

In January, students heard from Nan (Kohnen) Cahall ’82, the district director for Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. She was joined by Frank Charlton ’03, a sound engineer, who described the trajectory that landed him a job designing wireless home sound systems with Sonos.

“The opportunity to hear from professionals in the field allows students to see the many possibilities available to them,” shares Dr. Nick Accrocco, Summit’s college counseling director. “It’s a great way to inspire our students.”