RE Log - Spring 2024

8 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2024 Everglades attendance when family members who are children of RE graduates and also grandchildren of Ransom School or Everglades School for Girls alumni were admitted to the middle school. Two of the most meaningful REconnections in recent years have occurred among Black alumni and alumnae from the Everglades School for Girls. Roxi Vadia Morgenstern ’75 has worked tirelessly to unite classmates from her Everglades days since realizing that many felt disconnected or out of touch with RE, which came into existence after the 1974 merger of Everglades and the Ransom School. Cheyenne Range ’14 and Jamila Stephens ’12 identified a similar disconnect among Black alumni, many of whom had stayed in touch with their close friends but lost contact with their school. In the past three years, the newly formed Everglades Steering Committee and Ransom Everglades Black Alumni have connected RE graduates across generations. Meanwhile, the school’s advancement office under Director of Advancement Vicki Carbonell Williamson ’88 continues to hold well-attended events for RE alumni in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco in addition to the annual Alumni Weekend – which brought 363 alumni from 28 states and four countries to RE last April. Over a decade ago, Alexi Luger Laffoon ’05 and Coley Laffoon ’92 met at a Los Angeles alumni event; they married in 2015 and have five children. Marissa Stamler Canida ’06 chairs the Alumni REconnect Committee, and alumni serve on the school’s alumni board, participate in service activities through REACH Too (Ransom Everglades Alumni Can Help Too) and serve on the alumni panel at RE’s annual business plan challenge. “Ransom Everglades is more than a school,” said Williamson, who has worked at RE for 17 years. “It’s with you for life. You are always going to be a part of this community. The relationship is ongoing, and it is something you treasure more and more as the years go by.” Williamson is joined by fellow alumni David Clark ’86 , the school’s Chief Operating Officer, Amy Sayfie Zichella ’93 , Director of Admission and Enrollment Management, and Wendell Graham ’74 , the Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement, on Ransom Everglades’ senior leadership team. The school also employs Maggie Pearson ’80 in the advancement office, and longtime teachers Jenny Carson ’03, Paul Natland ’02 and Henry Stavisky ’85 along with School Support Specialist O.J. Armstrong ’17 and Ashleigh Moses Lindenauer ’94 in admissions. There is more than one way to come back to Ransom Everglades, but the result for many is similar: Alumni find that REconnecting allows them to tap into a community of people that shares the same values and provides friendship, support, mentorship – and, increasingly, even jobs. As Liz Fitzpatrick P’20 ’23, a founding member of the newly established REconnect Task Force, put it: “REconnecting is about renewing friendships and leveraging the RE community for professional and personal opportunities.We invite all RE alumni, parents and families to share their time, opportunities and industry expertise with the next generation of Raiders.” Job REconnections The most meaningful REconnections take place in person, but the initial spark is often provided by an online tool: the school’s four-year-old REconnect web platform, which allows alumni to identify RE-owned businesses, potential jobs or mentors, or simply to track down old friends. Veronica Alcorta ’96 hired Camila Medina ’11 as a merchandising specialist at Bulgari (LVMH) after Medina reached out on REconnect. Alcorta, a Senior Merchandising Manager, said she didn’t think twice when she saw Medina’s credentials. “Since we shared a similar background and had been exposed to the same learning environment at RE, I knew Camila had the right qualities needed for the role,” Alcorta said. “She was well prepared, had great communication skills and a strong work ethic.” An added bonus for Alcorta: the opportunity to provide mentorship. “I know how important it is to have a mentor guide you through your career,” she said. “It’s been a great experience with Camila.” Alcorta served as an RE class ambassador for several years before joining the alumni board in 2021. She is currently alumni co-chair of The Fund for RE. “Our RE network,” she volunteered, “is priceless.” Sam Singer ’13 has loved working under fellow RE alum Michael Sullivan ’05 as a commercial real estate broker at Vertical Real Estate, a boutique firm in Miami. The RE network “is very powerful and the opportunities are endless, no matter what field you want to get into,” said Singer, in his fourth year with the company. “Mike has taken me under his wing and has Michael Sullivan ’05 and Sam Singer ’13 Camila Medina ’11 and Veronica Alcorta ’96