“None of Us is as Smart as All of Us,” said motivational speaker and business consultant Ken Blanchard a few years ago.
This statement holds true not only in the workplace, but also at school; we can all learn from one another.
Briarcliff High School recently invited over two dozen alumni to share their life experience, invaluable advice and priceless words of wisdom with juniors and seniors.
After a breakfast at the CLIFF, the alumni met with the students at the auditorium.
Principal Diana Blank introduced Mary Alice Ackerman, who is one of this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Ackerman, who graduated in 1997, shared with the audience three things that helped her reach success.
“Whether in relationships or in my career, the following helped me succeed,” she said. “One: hard work and dedication will take you far – success does not happen overnight. Two: leadership matters. It is not about title, but rather about stepping up when it’s needed and about helping people up along the way. Three: community is everything, whether it’s a team, a school, a workplace or a group chat that keeps you safe. The people around you make all the difference.”
After Ackerman’s speech, the alumni introduced themselves, sharing the year they graduated from Briarcliff, what they did after high school and where they are now.
This was followed by a Q & A session, hosted by Erin Ryan, supervisor of school counseling & student services.
“Today is about hearing real stories from people who walked the same halls as you and are now navigating life after Briarcliff High School,” she said. “There is no single right path, and you are going to see that reflected in the variety of journeys you will hear about today.”
Ryan asked the alumni for advice on the college application process, the transition from high school to college and from college to the workforce, and how Briarcliff High School has prepared them for college and beyond.
“Nothing is set in stone,” said 2023 alum Tevin Kim. “Whatever happens with your college decision, your life will go on, and your fate is not sealed in that moment.”
“I’m a junior in college and I still don’t know what I want to do as my career, and it’s ok to not have it figured out. I switched my major four times,” said fellow Class of 2023 alum Dylan Zednik
Zednik spoke about the benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone and taking new classes.
“I think it’s helpful to take a class you would not normally take. When I was a junior at BHS I took AP Environmental Science,” she said. “I never thought I would go in that direction, but now I am minoring in Environmental Sciences because it’s something that really interests me. So, if you have the opportunity now or in college, take things that are outside your comfort zone. You might learn new information you would not have learned otherwise, or you might learn something about yourself.”
Discussing the transition of going from high school to college and struggling to meet people, George Callaghan, class of 2020 alum, offered practical words of advice.
“It’s important to connect with professors early on, not just with students, because sometimes professors will know what you have in common with other students that they have become close with,” he said. “One of my best friends was introduced to me by one of my professors, because he knew that we had similar interests. I wouldn’t have known him otherwise.”
Zednik also discussed meeting new people.
“When you go to college, no one knows anything about you,” she said. “Put yourself out there. If you embarrass yourself once – so be it, it happens. Life goes on. Life is too short to not take those risks. Go up to that person in the library. Say hi. Try things you wouldn’t normally do – it will take you far.”
After the Q & A session, students went to classrooms where they met with two or three alumni for breakout sessions, to discuss the college and job process more in-depth. There were four breakout sessions in total, so students were able to rotate between the classrooms and meet about half of the visiting alumni.
The following alumni participated in this year’s Alumni Career Day:
- Denis Donohue, Class of 1967
- Elizabeth O’Leary Froese, Class of 2002
- Jonathan Robins, Class of 2004
- Amanda Gryga, Class of 2015
- Jordan Paley, Class of 2017
- Oliver Benson, Class of 2018
- Jon Gold, Class of 2018
- Sarah Kaul, Class of 2018
- Kendall Hayes, Class of 2019
- Christopher Arroyo, Class of 2020
- George Callaghan, Class of 2020
- Daniel Josephberg, Class of 2020
- Angela Cao, Class of 2021
- Annie Dineen, Class of 2021
- Vishwa Shukla, Class of 2021
- Samuel Tang, Class of 2021
- Jolie Wasserman, Class of 2021
- Benjamin Young, Class of 2022
- Jessica Gordon, Class of 2023
- Andrew Itzla, Class of 2023
- Tevin Kim, Class of 2023
- Annabelle Kung, Class of 2023
- Talia London, Class of 2023
- Meggy Mani, Class of 2023
- Nitya Shukla, Class of 2023
- Dylan Zednik, Class of 2023
- Connor Bohan, Class of 2024