Nowalumni MAGAZINE
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now ALUMNI MAGAZINE IN THIS ISSUE Trapeze Govie Faculty Insight Off the Beaten Path Current Student Perspective Flashback Photos & More Dear Fellow Alumni, On behalf of the entire GSSM Alumni Board, welcome to the newest issue of gssmnow, GSSM’s 2 Letter from Presidents alumni magazine. The Alumni Board has worked hard to put together this issue, and we hope that 2 Alumni Association Contact you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it. As gssmnow grows, we invite you all to 3 Alumni Association Committees contribute in whatever way you can, whether it be sharing anecdotes and pictures from your time at GSSM, updating us on where you are now, or writing an article to provide insight into your work or 3 Faculty Profile other areas of interest. Flashbacks 4 In addition to creating this issue of gssmnow, the Alumni Board has been hard at work planning 5 Alumni Speak Out: Angela Ellis ‘91 reunions and regional gatherings for our growing alumni base, as well as fundraising so that we can all continue to take pride in GSSM remaining one of the premier high schools in the nation. Our 6 Off the Beaten Path school has finally completed the expansion of its student body, which began with the move from the 8 Make It Anywhere Coker College campus to its current location in 2003. As the student body has grown, so too has our 9 Where is My Anywhere alumni network. We are eager to hear what our fellow alumni have been up to and look forward to reading these updates in future issues of gssmnow. 10 Alumni Speak Out: Wilson White ‘99 As a final note, we encourage all alumni to get involved in the GSSM community. Whether Faculty Message: Carlanna Hendrick 11 volunteering to serve on the Alumni Board, making a financial donation, or even just helping us keep 12 Class Notes our alumni database up-to-date, your contributions are important to our school and our fellow alumni. If you are interested in giving back, please feel free to contact Meg Senn ([email protected]) or any 13 Catching Up member of the Alumni Board. 14 Flashbacks Sincerely, 14 Academic Updates 15 Fundraising Report Cody Whetsel ‘05 Bryant Hutson ‘05 President, GSSM Alumni Board President-elect, GSSM Alumni Board now THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SC GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR KEEP UP CAREER SERVICES ALUMNI TO DATE JOB PORTAL DIRECTORY SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS facebook.com/gssm.alumni.1 scgssm.org/jobs-internships scgssm.org/alumni-directory Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics 2 Alumni Association 2016 COMMITTEES AWARDS The Awards Committee names an Outstanding Alumnus of the Year and additional award(s) each spring. The committee establishes explicit selection criteria, solicits nominations, chooses the DR. HECTOR FLORES recipient(s), and plans and holds the award(s) announcement. 2015–16 MEMBERS: Sarah Spruill, Jason McKellar, AJ Maulion, Bryant Hutson, Dewey Nguyen, Alexis Myers, Kenzie Foster COMMUNICATIONS The Communications Committee works with the alumni relations manager to improve 1 communications between GSSM/GSSM Foundation and the Alumni Association. The committee Attended a bilingual solicits and generates content for the monthly alumni newsletter. Catholic school for 11 years, run by the NY- 2015–16 MEMBERS: Tina Baggott, Jacob Kline, Ben Pleune, Dan Ward, Latoya Dixon, Gabi McNulty based Maryknoll order. As a result, he was reading FUNDRAISING Macbeth and Neruda The Fundraising Committee works with the alumni relations manager to garner financial support by age 3. 2 for both GSSM and the Alumni Association from alumni. Committee members personally contact Moonlighted as their classmates and students in the years immediately above and below to encourage them to a jazz DJ for six support GSSM and increase alumni participation. years on and 2015–16 MEMBERS: Kristin Garris, Tina Baggott, Michael Thompson, AJ Maulion off. MEMBERSHIP/NOMINATING 3 4 The Membership/Nominating Committee works with the alumni relations manager to encourage Is an avid foodie, participation by all alumni in the Association. The committee oversees the regional alumni Has a collection of gourmet cook about 8,000 books chapters and leverages their classmates and networks to maintain contact with all alumni. and gardener. and counting (from arts Additionally, the committee oversees the election of board members at the end of each fiscal year, and classics to signed working with the alumni relations manager to coordinate nomination efforts, develop a slate of first editions and officers, hold elections and post results. 5 spy thrillers). 2015–16 MEMBERS: Todd Pleune, Ben Pleune, Patrick Cleary, Patrick Gorospe Loves dogs, and currently has a 10-year- PROGRAMS old black lab mix named The Programs Committee works with the alumni relations manager to develop, establish and Tango and a 2-year-old maintain programs through which all GSSM alumni can give back to the school. The committee Doberman/lab mix coordinates alumni reunions, the annual winter gathering, and alumni reconnect dinners. problem child named Ginger. 2015–16 MEMBERS: Brian Kelley, Tiffany Haigler, Jan Levinson, Samantha Griner, Anna Capps, Kenzie Foster now 3 The Magazine for GSSM Alumni BACKS MORE ON PAGE 14 Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics 4 Alumni Association 2016 SPEAK OUT I ANGELA ELLIS Trapeze Hobby Helps Alumna Overcome Obstacles I’m one of those people who is bothered by work on some very exciting projects, but after 10 stillness. Even when I’m sitting down, there is years I decided it was time to make a change. I almost always some part of me that is moving. moved to New York City in March of 2015, where This inability to accept a static state is not just I now work in a commercial diagnostic lab. It is physical. I am always looking for ways to keep a challenging job, and, while most of the cases my life fresh and exciting and I have always I see are relatively routine, there is always the wanted to challenge both my body and my mind. unusual case that keeps the job interesting. I find that physical activity helps me to be In my spare time, I have continued my pursuit mentally sharper and of aerial arts. I began with dance trapeze, more focused. To that but I now work primarily on the lyra, which end, I have pursued is a spinning metal hoop. When I started my my career in veterinary trapeze lessons, I did it solely because it looked pathology but have like fun and it was a great creative and physical always maintained outlet. I had no idea how much it would change a variety of physical my life. Not only have I learned to do some hobbies. Over the crazy tricks over the years and developed upper years, I have played body strength that I never had in spite of being physically active my whole life, but I have also soccer, squash and been hanging upside down in a Spandex developed a new level of self-confidence that tennis; ridden a bike bodysuit in front of a room full of people, a has carried over into all aspects of my life. and a unicycle; taken 15-minute talk about ocular tumors in cats up running, hiking, and seems much less daunting. rollerblading; and tried I was always very shy and never liked public speaking or any sort of public performance. martial arts and rock Now, I continue to enjoy my dual life. During However, as a graduate student and later as a climbing. When I was a pathology resident at the week, I am Dr. Ellis, veterinary pathologist. professor, I was expected to present research the University of Georgia, I had the good fortune I wear normal business attire and work in an findings at national meetings. Whenever I had to be introduced to aerial arts by the wonderful office. In my free time, I am spinning, hanging to do this, I got so nervous I felt nauseated. staff at Canopy Studio in Athens, Georgia. I from my toes, working on my splits or training At my trapeze studio, no one was forced to began taking trapeze lessons and have now with some amazing circus artists. I do not perform, but performance was encouraged been performing as an aerialist for more than 10 know if I will continue doing aerial arts for the in a very supportive way. At my first show, I years. rest of my life or if I will eventually give it up was almost paralyzed with fear and was just to take on some new challenge, but I will be praying that nothing horribly embarrassing By day, I am a veterinary anatomic pathologist, forever grateful for the positive influence it has would happen (like falling off the trapeze or which was made possible in part by the had on my life, and I will never give up having completely forgetting my routine). Fortunately, foundation in science that I received at GSSM. an active hobby or continuing to push my own I made it through without any problems. After I spent the first 10 years of my career in a boundaries. university diagnostic lab in Athens, Georgia, that, it got progressively easier each time I doing a combination of diagnostics, teaching, performed and public speaking began to seem Angela Ellis ’91 is a veterinary anatomic and research. I had the privilege while there to like less of an obstacle. After all, once you’ve pathologist with Antech in New York. now 5 The Magazine for GSSM Alumni SPEAK OUT Many GSSM alumni start on one path after graduation, only to end up in a completely different career.