Alumni
Welcome, VCS Alumni!
Whether you spent one year or seven at Vermont Commons, you will always be a Flying Turtle! Here, you’ll find updates from your classmates, information about reunion and other gatherings, and information on ways to stay connected to VCS.
One of our favorite things is when an alum walks through the front door. We love to catch up on your lives, see where you’ve gone (from South Africa to South Willard St) and what you’ve done (from high finance to local bartending, we want to know).
If it’s been a minute since you’ve been in touch, let us know what you’re up to with this handy FLYING TURTLE TRACKER. And if you’re in the area, please come by for a visit! We’d love to see you!
Alumni News – From the 2023 Commons Review
Eamon McMahon ’01 came back to VCS last January to take part in the launch of the Campaign for Vermont Commons! He shared that he is the proud dad of a four-year-old and three-year-old, and is working at his dream job as a scientific machinist at Middlebury College. In what is left of his free time, he practices and teaches martial arts.
Aislinn Wallace ’05 gave us a shout-out from Atlanta, where she writes, “I’ve recently begun a second career – after over a decade working in higher education administration, I started a Ph.D. in Criminology. I hope to use this degree to contribute to policy work on mass incarceration.”
Asher Leff ’07 writes that he is living in Puerto Rico, where he started his own company, TauMat, LLC. Asher explained, “We engineer thermal management solutions for an electrified future.”
Sam Barrocas ’08 recently returned to Vermont and stopped by VCS to surprise Mark Cline Lucey and Peter Goff with a visit. After working on a 4,000-acre regenerative farm in Georgia, as a wrangler on a ranch in Colorado, and as an apprentice at an organic farm in California, Sam has returned to the Green Mountains to be the livestock manager at Philo Ridge Farm in Charlotte. Welcome back, Sam!
Seaman Tommy Kalinoski ’08 will soon be stationed in Seattle for three years to work on the US Coast Guard Polar Star breaking ice in Antarctica.
Former VCS Director of Admissions and College Counseling Sarah Soule wrote that she attended a virtual conference in which Ross King ’10 was a presenter. She noted, “The conference was focused on options and opportunities for non-college-bound students. Ross did a wonderful job in his presentation. It is clear he is thriving in his role at Lamoille County Mental Health.”
Callie McGarghan ’11 and her newly-opened vintage clothing store, Silkworm Studio, were recently profiled in the Addison Independent. Callie returned to the area to open her shop in Bristol after spending time in Los Angeles, working in the fashion and consignment sector. Visit her store at shopsilkworm.co.
Zannah Johnson ’11
Zannah Johnson ’11 is working as an outpatient child therapist for a pediatrics clinic in Brockton, MA, largely working with recently arrived immigrant families who experienced trauma in their home countries or during immigration. She is about to become a fully licensed social worker.
Spencer Reed ’14 is the Director of Partnerships for Renew US, a progressive nonprofit. Always on the move, Spencer notes that his next home state will be New York.
Mikhal Yudien ’15 just completed her required clinical rotations at UPenn Perelman School of Medicine and will be applying to surgical residencies this coming summer.
Across the pond in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, you’ll find Nimaya Lemal ’17 working on her master’s degree in Environment, Culture, and Communication at the University of Glasgow.
Katya Marsh ’17 is working as a research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at UVM’s Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, studying substance use and mental health issues in vulnerable populations.
Recent grads Zac Hinds ’19, Sofia Bitukendja ’21, and Simon Rosenbaum ’22 visited us in January, when they participated in the annual Alumni College Panel. They spent the morning with current juniors and seniors, sharing insights about the transition to college and life post-VCS. Zac is a senior at St. Michael’s where he is studying computer science, mathematics, and philosophy. He proudly shared that after graduation he will be doing back-end programming for McDonald’s, which he identified as his dream job, even when he was at VCS. Sofia is at UMass Boston, studying public health and fulfilling her prerequisites to become a physician assistant. Simon is a first-year student at Vanderbilt, studying political science and on track for pre-law.
From Oberlin College, Maya Akazawa ’21 writes that she is studying Biology and has enjoyed traveling to Central America on her summer and winter breaks. She has also taken up parade float building with an campus club!
Rachel Bergstein ’21 works as a photographer and videographer for the Northeastern University and Harvard athletic departments, in addition to being a full-time student at Northeastern.
Izzy Stearns ’21 is living in Burlington and is establishing herself as a professional concert and portrait photographer. She’s also brought her skills back to VCS, documenting various events and taking this year’s school portraits! See her work at izzystearnsphotography.com
Former student Eden Smith ’23 took her senior year of high school at Norwich University, noting that her time at VCS had prepared her very well for college-level courses. She added, “I researched/wrote about U.S.-Mexico border policy, the humanitarian crisis at the border, and my experiences visiting the border (on an Encounter Week) for my English public issue project last semester. That trip is still on my mind daily.”