Alumni News – Page 2 – Clairbourn School News

November 30, 2020December 16, 2020

Your Student Can Do Great Things: Foundations Matter

Part one of this six-part series offers insights into Clairbourn’s educational philosophy and the elements of the program which have led to noteworthy accomplishments by its alums.

How does a child experience remarkable success? Is such an outcome based on advantages, brain power, or fortuitous timing? Clairbourn believes a substantial contributor is the child’s educational environment – one that is designed to encourage a growth mindset and risk-taking combined with a student’s sense of community support and belonging. Take, for instance, the example of alumna Tiffany Chang from the Class of 2018.

Tiffany Chang is a Clairbourn Class of 2018 alumna and the founding president of the Madhatter Knits nonprofit organization which she started while at the school.

She took the elements of her Clairbourn education and used them to inspire and build a non-profit organization which is making a real difference. Tiffany, along with a group of former Clairbourn students and current high school classmates, runs Madhatter Knits, a nonprofit that makes hats for premature infants.

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020

An Important Message of Pandemic Hope from Clairbourn Alumna Tiffany Chang

Tiffany Chang, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2018, sees the opportunities embedded in every crisis. She credits her elementary school, Clairbourn, for the optimistic thoughts that inspired an award-winning video she made for the Center for Future Global Leaders (CFGL) Young Artist Competition. She says, “I will always be grateful to Clairbourn as the school has always taught me to look at the positive side of every situation and to stay optimistic even during the most difficult times. I will never forget the important life lessons Clairbourn instilled in me.”

Over a period of about 2 weeks, fueled by her positive-outlook habits and motivated by her own optimistic actions while staying at home, she scripted, animated, and recorded an artistic video on the topic of “Hope” for the CFGL competition. Her “Leaders of Tomorrow Video During the Pandemic” project was designed for parents and students, and reveals a path out of hopelessness by making a point of looking at the brighter side of the stay-at-home-order and disruptions to normal routines.

After addressing the world-wide toll on health and the derailment of education in the era of COVID-19, she uses the powerful and repeated reframing question, “What if?” “What if this generation is advanced because of this pandemic?” Tiffany’s project presents 18 reframing questions in total that provide ample reasons for optimism in the face of great hardship. As a result, her project not only delivered on the intended inspiration, but it also won her a $300 prize and a top spot as a national finalist in the CFGL competition.

We invite you to watch her video below, read the transcript that follows, and then learn more about Tiffany’s impressive record of philanthropy and community service:

August 6, 2020August 7, 2020

College Applications: Clairbourn Alums Share Advice

Clairbourn School held a virtual panel in July 2020 featuring alums who offered advice on the college application process. Panelists included Kristofer Chang ‘16, who will be attending Harvey Mudd College, Jada Gritton ‘16, who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, and Salvatore Rego ’15, now attending the College of William and Mary. The panel’s moderator was Mina Kasama, From Clairbourn’s Class of 2011, who attended Dalhousie University for her undergrad and is currently pursuing an MA in International Relations at American University.

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Clairbourn School held a virtual panel, in July of 2020, featuring alums offering advice on the college application process. Panelists included Kristofer Chang and Jada Gritton, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2016, with the former attending Harvey Mudd College and the latter attending the University of Pennsylvania, and Salvatore Rego, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2015, now attending the College of William and Mary.

Watch the recorded virtual panel here, or read the following notes from the meeting below .

May 27, 2020June 12, 2020

Erin Price, Class of 2012 – Community Service Leader and Educator with Purpose and Heart

Erin Price, Class of 2012, plans to co-teach at an elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Erin Price, Class of 2012, radiates maturity, poise, and purpose. She embodies the qualities of an outstanding Clairbourn alum. Just this May, she graduated from Smith College with a degree in Psychology and Education & Child Study and plans to co-teach at an elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Being a community builder with a heart for service and helping others has always been a core value in Erin’s life.

May 8, 2020June 12, 2020

Alumni Legacy Family: Anne Gifford Ewing, Class of 1992 – Trusts and Estates Lawyer

Trusts and Estates Lawyer Anne Gifford Ewing, Class of 1992

Possessing an Audrey Hepburn elegance coupled with the intelligence of Madeleine Albright, Anne Gifford Ewing from the Class of 1992 speaks with an arresting precision and poise. One could point to her training and current profession as a trusts and estates lawyer as the key ingredient for her competence as a wordsmith. One could also note her passion for literature, writing, foreign language, history, music, and theater as influential in shaping her career interests and encouraging her to lead a reflective and well-examined life. While all of these factors played integral roles in honing Anne’s skills, what stands out the most is her time at Clairbourn School, which laid the foundation for her future and cultivated a love of learning.

May 5, 2020May 8, 2020

Paige Dyrek, Class of 2006 – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

(Left) Paige Dyrek, from Clairbourn School’s Class of 2006, who is now a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

For the men and women who dedicate themselves to the medical profession, it is truly a calling. Paige Dyrek, from Clairbourn School’s Class of 2006, is no exception. She has chosen this career in medicine because she was passionate about helping people who have overcome traumatic and life-altering injuries.

She received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree form Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona and is completing her Preliminary Medicine year at UCSF-Fresno. In June, she will head to Stanford to complete her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a specialty that deals with the acute rehabilitation of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and sports-related injuries.

Paige credits Clairbourn School with providing her the knowledge and skills to succeed, as well as a positive learning environment that instilled in her a passion for learning. To learn more, Clairbourn’s Alumni Director Dr. Janny Chang conducted the following interview with Paige about her journey from Clairbourn to a promising career in medicine:

May 1, 2020May 8, 2020

Alum Christian Yeghnazar – Social Entrepreneur Paving the Way for Change

Christian Yeghnazar from the Clairbourn Class of 2013, is mature, reflective, and thoughtful—a paragon of excellence that is representative of our Clairbourn students and alumni. Currently a junior at USC, Christian is majoring in Business Administration with minors in Computer Programming and Applied Analytics.

He attended Clairbourn from 2004 to 2013 paving the way for both his younger brothers to attend Clairbourn as well. He is currently pursuing a career in the entrepreneurial world by starting his own venture. Most recently, he launched a new website called College Connect, which pairs high school students with current college students and guides them in making informed decisions about college. His mission is to help make a positive social impact through his endeavors. We are so inspired by Christian. Read about his story and experiences here.

April 30, 2020June 12, 2020

COVID-19 Reflections: Alum Nina Luo, Technologist and Humanitarian

Nina Luo, Class of 2018, is determined to improve our world through journalism and technology.

A deep thinker, with a thirst for knowledge and an agent of change, Nina Luo from the Class of 2018 is determined to improve our world through journalism and technology. Her motivation, which was nurtured and shaped at Clairbourn school, is to help others and save lives. She wants to make a positive impact on our society and world. After becoming aware that Nina recently published several COVID-19 related articles on WeChat and was starting a website featuring overlooked and under-reported news, we caught up with her to ask about her current projects and future endeavors.

April 23, 2020June 12, 2020

Sarah Soza, Class of 2015 – Extraordinary Viola Player

Sarah Soza’s high school graduation with her parents

For anyone who’s had the privilege of watching Sarah Soza perform, there is no doubt about her extraordinary talent and her passion for music. Many of her memories from Clairbourn relate to the music program, where she loved music class and loved playing for the school ensemble. Currently, Sarah is a first year student at the University of California, Irvine, majoring in music, with a specialization in viola performance. Originally a violin player, Sarah switched over to viola at the beginning of her senior year in high school.

April 15, 2020June 12, 2020

COVID-19 Reflections: Alumna Mei-Tung Chen on Living in the Moment

Alumna Mei-Tung Chen. Class of 2017, shares her thoughts on living in the moment.

Our wise and deep-thinking alumna Mei-Tung Chen, from the Class of 2017, is currently a junior at Flintridge Preparatory School. Not only is she passionate about math and science, but she is also huge fan of literature—an enthusiasm first nurtured at Clairbourn, where she regularly submitted short stories and poetry to the award-winning, student-produced, literary magazine Paw Prints. Her interest in writing is most evident in her role as the Editor-in-Chief of the satire literary magazine at Prep called The Yell at Prep.