This fall, I traveled with Head of School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau to New York City and Washington, D.C., to meet our alumni living on the East Coast. During these trips, we connected with young alums who graduated between 2008 and 2020.

Meeting these alums highlighted how our Pumas, as global citizens, go on to thrive in a variety of environments, careers, colleges, and universities. While the alumni we met are all pursuing different callings, they each attended the events excited and ready to share memories from their time as students and to learn about what is happening on campus today.

During the New York City gathering, we were impressed to learn that every alum in attendance is pursuing a career that they hadn’t considered when they were in high school. In D.C., Ronnie and I were struck by the fact that the majority of the alums in attendance had gone on at least one school-sponsored international trip during their time as students.

At both events, alumni reminisced about many of their favorite teachers and assignments and shared what aspects of their UPrep education have stayed with them in the years since graduation. Multiple people credited the Fine Arts Department with helping them find their passion, the Mock Trial Club with growing their confidence and public speaking skills, and the History Department with developing their critical thinking skills. They all emphasized that their time at UPrep taught them to be strong self-advocates. I was impressed with the warmth, the sense of belonging, and the strength of community that our alumni displayed as we gathered together.

After our trips, we were able to catch up with a few of the alums. Here’s what they had to say about how their experiences at UPrep affect their lives today.

Jacob Iglitzin '15

Jacob is completing the Musical Theatre Writers Collective program, a two-year educational program for emerging musical theatre writers, composers, and directors that is housed at the Dramatists Guild of America in New York City. He’s focused primarily on lyric writing and is currently writing a full-length musical with another student. After they complete the program in May, they will try to get readings of the script around town. In 2019, Jacob graduated from Columbia University with a BA in European history.

How did UPrep prepare you for your career?

The clearest throughline was participating in shows with teachers Paul Fleming, Meleesa Wyatt, Tim Blok, and Jess Klein. On the other hand, you don’t know what you are interested in until you have the opportunity. When I did a scene from Macbeth in the Shake Hands with Shakespeare Club in 6th grade, I realized I enjoyed being on the stage. It’s not like I knew I wanted to write musicals for a living, but when I am writing now, I am trying to put myself into the minds of the people who will say these words, and I’m constantly drawing on my theatre experiences at UPrep.

What do you still carry with you from UPrep?

Some of these things are quite specific, like my ability to conduct historical research and literary analysis. I’m in the process of trying to develop my own writing style, but I first learned about concise language and clarity of thought at UPrep. I also learned about the relationships between different disciplines, and that philosophy, literature, history, religion, and science feed each other and are not siloed disciplines. For me, theatre is the vehicle where I explore these
relationships and ideas. I also carry my friends with me, including the group of alums who are involved in theatre in New York City and new people I meet at alumni events whom I share an immediate understanding and point of reference with through UPrep.

Where did you belong at UPrep?

I belonged to a number of activities and places, including Mock Trial Club, my French language classes, and a lot of my humanities and history classes. Belonging to the Opera Club, run by Mr. Grant, was formative; we saw operas together at Seattle Opera. The physical place where I felt like I most belonged was Founders Hall and the Fine Arts basement area—I moved between the yoga and dance class spaces, the music rooms where I practiced piano, the dressing rooms, and the stage in Founders Hall.

Kai Milici '16

Kai is a strategy and consulting senior analyst at Accenture Federal Services in
Washington, D.C. There she works on projects that help federal agencies operate more effectively and address any number of executive orders and initiatives, including ones that prioritize equity and sustainability. In 2021, she graduated from Middlebury College with a BA in geography and political science. Kai also spent eight months in Ecuador in a gap-year program run by Global Citizen Year.

How did UPrep prepare you for your career?

UPrep provides good mentorship opportunities for students. I was encouraged to really get to know my teachers and activity leaders. When you have the expectation that you are going to have mentors in academic or professional settings, you seek out mentorship wherever you go. Through asking questions and learning from these mentors, you become successful. Making good connections and finding opportunities for myself comes naturally to me now, after having it be such an integral part of the UPrep experience.

What do you still carry with you from UPrep?

UPrep students are taught to not think about themselves in a single way. I participated in sports, Mock Trial, and the newspaper. I can connect with a lot of different people because I assume everyone is multifaceted. I think going through life feeling like you aren’t defined by a single thing also helps you be open to trying anything.

Where did you belong at UPrep?

The Athletic Department, in general, is a place that I stayed really close to during my years at UPrep. I ran track and played soccer and I worked at the concessions stand during basketball games from sophomore through senior year. Director of Athletics Ms. Moe creates a community where people feel at home. My coaches also encouraged everyone at every level equally, with no favoritism. I remember that success in track and field was about taking the leap to try new events, and trying your best was enough to garner praise. The Athletic Department put community and belonging at the forefront for me.

Nick Sage '16

Nick is the speechwriter for U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer, the former Democratic majority leader of the House of Representatives. He absolutely loves working on the Hill in Washington, D.C., but still misses Seattle and what he firmly believes is the better of the two Washingtons. Nick graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a BA in government and history in 2020.

How did UPrep prepare you for your career?

Just the other week, I worked on a floor speech for a bill to remove the bust of Dred Scott decision author Chief Justice Roger B. Taney from the Capitol and to commission one of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. I distinctly remember working on a project in a history class with Mr. Grant that examined the Dred Scott Supreme Court case. That context and familiarity with the case enabled me to dive headfirst into the speech without much need for background research.

I discovered my love of history at UPrep. The entire History Department was fantastic. And although I do not have any artistic talent, I can always say I won a “Dancing with the Stars” competition with Mr. Grant. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was laying the building blocks of my speechwriting skill set through my classes and activities at UPrep. That includes writing and delivering my first speeches: one for a Veterans Day Assembly and another one for the commencement ceremony.

What do you still carry with you from UPrep?

Curiosity and empathy. These traits are helpful in anyone’s life. These traits enhanced my college experience, and they are important for speechwriting, too. UPrep also challenges students intellectually. I always appreciated the opportunity to talk with my peers and teachers about what was in the news, both in classes and in Community Conversations [now called LEAD]. Most importantly, I cherish the lifelong friendships I forged during my seven years at UPrep.

Where did you belong at UPrep?

I belonged in the Library. There is one corner of the Library where my friends and I ate lunch every day, and I spent free periods there, as well. I really felt that same sense of belonging within the History Department. UPrep was a great place to explore interests. I appreciate how UPrep accommodates a wide variety of students and their interests. My older brother [Jackson ’14] cultivated his quantitative side and I cultivated my qualitative side.