Brendan received a BA in Mass Communications and Media Studies and a Master's Degree in Sports Administration from HU. An All-MEAC linebacker, Brendan was captain of the Pirates football team and finished his senior season with 51 tackles. While a student, he worked as a Marketing Specialist intern for the HU Proton Therapy Institute, and following graduation was hired as a Football Operations intern with the Carolina Panthers. Brendan believes strongly that "CCS prepares you for independence and the next step ... academically, athletically, and generally."

 

Hamilton College, Football Team Captain; G10 FX Currency Trader, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Owner, Larabee Homes, LLC

 

Cade finds that he has an advantage on the trading floor at Bank of America and credits much of this success to his experience as a boarding student at CCS. "While I certainly missed my mother's home-cooked meals, I had to learn how to solve my own problems and how to manage my time." Cade believes this early independence set him up for success not only in college, but also on Wall Street. Cade says that CCS broadened his horizons and taught him how to "build relationships with people from different cultures and backgrounds, which has proved invaluable in my career." Outside of work, Cade enjoys reading, traveling, watching sports, and buying/renovating multi-family properties in NC with his real estate business, Larabee Homes, LLC.

 

 

University of Virginia; Visual Media Specialist, Principal, Fotochrome

 

Jack Roebuck grew up on the campus of Christchurch School. His mother taught in the Learning Skills Program, and his father was the school's art instructor. Jack was valedictorian of his class, and went on to graduate from UVA with a degree in Philosophy and French. After working as a producer, camera operator, and filmmaker for various companies in Richmond and Charlottesville, Jack and a partner started their own boutique media production firm, Fotochrome, in Richmond. Jack returned to campus last fall with Fotochrome to film our new LSP video. "The Christchurch community will forever be a part of my story. The diversity of perspectives and backgrounds make it an ideal place to develop as a person during some of your most formative years." 

Sewanee: The University of the South, Field Hockey, Order of the Gownsmen; Assistant Manager, Brand Marketing at Newell Brands - Home Fragrance Division

Jackie graduated from The University of the South, magna cum laude, with a degree in International and Global Studies/Politics and Asian Studies. Jackie played field hockey at Sewanee and in her junior year studied abroad at Beijing Foreign Studies University.  She was recipient of Sewanee's Asian Studies Prize, and was a member of the society of academic distinction, Order of the Gown.Jackie works for Basketville, splitting her time between their Vermont headquarters and Qingdao, China. Jackie began studying Mandarin Chinese as a 9th grader at CCS, "unaware that it was to become my passion. Dr. Liu challenged me every day, both inside and outside the classroom. Studying Chinese at CCS allowed me to connect with a world very different than my own, and helped shape both my personal and professional future."

 

Lauren received a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UVA. She has a passion for green engineering, belongs to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and was President of UVA's Trigon Engineering Society.  "While a student at CCS, I was encouraged to step outside of my comfort zone and to try new things. I carried that sense of challenge and adventure to college and into new opportunities." Lauren has been a popular guest presenter at CCS Career Night and remains in touch through her collaboration with Dr. Clements and our Makerspace!

 

James Madison University; University of Connecticut, MBA; Tech Lead, Data Engineering at Capital One

 

Michael received his BS in Economics and Technical Writing from JMU, and his MBA in Business Administration from UConn. Prior to becoming Manager of Systems Integration at Capital One, Michael spent four years as Lead Business Analyst and Manager of Business Systems at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc in Hartford, CT, where he received two Top Performer awards. As a Seahorse, Michael was on the golf and soccer teams, and played guitar in the winter productions. "CCS taught me how to balance a large class workload, sports, and outside activities, which prepared me for college and the working world after college. I also learned how to tie a bow tie, a skill I still use to this day!"

Auburn University; University of Washington - MS Genetic Epidemiology, Ph.D. Public Health Genetics; Stanford University - Postdoctoral Scholar Dept. of Biomedical Data Science

 

As a new student at CCS, Ragan appreciated the invaluable opportunity to pursue a more challenging academic program as well as the collegial environment fostered by the faculty & staff. In particular, Ragan liked the faculty enthusiasm for engaging students in learning and topics of interest, and loved the active class discussions which fostered open and confident dialogue. "This active learning and discourse was such a refreshing departure from sitting through long lectures with little to no discussion at my previous school!" Ragan finds that the curiosity and critical thinking skills she developed at CCS remain invaluable to her as she continues her education. Ragan would recommend CCS in a heartbeat because of the "supportive, confidence-building, loving, prideful community." A favorite memory? "Going to 7-11 with friends to grab slurpees to enjoy back on campus!" Some things never change.

Georgia Institute of Technology - MS Aerospace, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, MS Computer Science; Georgia Tech - Ph.D. candidate in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

 

When William isn't busy creating intelligent machines for human AI interaction, he enjoys playiing table tennis and flying the skies with his private pilot license. He believes that the CCS emphasis on critical thinking and the ability to make connections between textbook knowledge and real problems in the local community was key to his success beyond high school. William has special memories of Immersion Trips and being on the sailing and golf teams - which he recalls gave him an opportunity to "try something new outside the classroom, collaborate with friends, achieve goals, and more importantly, have fun together. In short, CCS taught me to work hard and play harder!" William is especially proud of a startup he tried, to create bio-inspired robot birds. William says, "In fact, it was not a success. If I could go back in time, I would still embark on the same journey with no hesitation or regret." For the next step on his journey, William contemplates starting his own company. We have a hunch it might be a great success! Good luck, William!

 

Class of 2018 Valedictorian Zhuoran Wu attends her dream school, where she studies Math and Economics with a minor in computer science. Zhuoran's CCS friends will not be surprised that she continues to seek out and embrace new challenges and competes throughout the country with the NYU Taekwondo Club!  She is also part of the NYU gala performance, singing and dancing in two of the numbers. Zhuoran reports that thanks to CCS, she was well-prepared to adapt to college life, and is especially pleased at how adept she is at successfully communicating with her roommates. Zhuoran misses the "inspirational beauty" of the CCS campus, and the warmness of the community, especially the faculty.