Alumni News

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT AWARDEE LAURA SPIEKERMAN

CLASS OF 2000

EB seeks to recognize and honor alumni who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions in their work and life, and who have positively impacted their communities through professional, public service and/or civic activities. EB is pleased to award the 2022 Alumni Spotlight Award to Laura Spiekerman, class of 2000. Laura embodies EB values as she continues to build financial services and products with a sense of zeal, integrity and endeavor.

1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? First and foremost, the teachers. I will always think fondly of people like Thierry and Odile, among many others, who gave me confidence and encouraged my learning and growth over the years. Second, growing up in a bi-cultural community gave me an early appreciation for travel and learning about other people, places, languages, cultures, and cuisines. That has shaped who I am, what I care about, and how I view the world. 2. Please describe your current work.

I’m an entrepreneur in the financial services technology space, having started my company seven years ago after several years at other startups and investing in private equity & venture capital funds. My company, Alloy, helps enable fintech (financial technology) companies and financial institutions to better manage user onboarding and identity/ compliance requirements. 3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession? EB made me interested in other cultures, and that background was part of what drove me to move to Kenya a few years after college, which was when I discovered my love for building next-generation mass-market financial services and products, first in East Africa and now in the United States. I became interested in that by studying microfinance in Senegal (during college), a country I chose to spend time in because I could use my French! 4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB?

Exposing your kids to as many cultural experiences— whether local or global—has long-lasting, positive effects. Let them access education and new experiences through something tangible and exciting (e.g. cooking) because there are many years ahead (high school and college) where your kids will mostly be head-down in books worried about their grades. 5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. One of my favorite memories was our 7th grade Yosemite trip, visiting pitch-black caves and learning to rely on each other and our senses to get through them. It was such a fun trip! 6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world?

It certainly made me feel like a citizen of the world, and even now I travel to new places and feel more at home than I would without my EB experiences. I’m more

“Exposing your kids to as many cultural experiences— whether local or global— has long-lasting, positive effects.”

comfortable talking to new people from completely different backgrounds, as well as navigating new cities, languages, and cultures. 7. Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why? Yes! I now have a 19-month- old son, Nico, who I am hoping goes to EB starting in 2023. I hope he loves learning languages, exploring other cultures, and develops a lifelong curiosity about the world around him. For now, I’ll settle for learning the French names of trucks! (I never thought I’d so frequently have to talk about camions de poubelles, tractopelles, etc… !) 8. Anything else you’d like to add?

Decades later, EB still feels like home to me. I will never forget so many people— administrators, teachers, and students alike—who shaped my worldview and helped raise me.

BABACAR SY

CLASS OF 2020

1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? I had some great friends at EB, and I really enjoyed the kind of diversity I experienced. There were a lot of different people, from different places in the world. Especially as I got older, I met people from Colombia and Egypt— it was just really fun to be exposed in that way. The field trips were very engaging—and got to go to places like France and Catalina Island, which was just breathtaking.

2. Please describe your current studies. I’m currently at Alameda High School and I feel that I really lucked out on the classes. I’m able to take a few interesting classes— like Biotech and Sports Medicine. It’s great that I’m able to have fun and learn really interesting topics at the same time. I think I will be able to learn a lot this year, and who knows, I might want to become an engineer in the future!

3. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB? The teachers are excellent. If you have younger children, I would definitely recommend the Lower School with some great teachers over there. Some of my favorite teachers of all time, like Luc De Armey, Fanny Labadie, MarieAnne Allain, Marc De Armey made school so fun. And I also loved Emmanuel Labadie at the Middle School. 4. Describe your favorite memory from EB. One of my favorite memories from EB was running for Treasurer for Student Council in the seventh grade. I wrote my speech the night before, and I presented it to my mom and stepdad. When I spoke in front of my class, they cheered for me. It was just a very good memory and I was super happy when I won. I was also Treasurer in the eighth grade. The school didn’t give me access to the bank account, of course, since I was only 13! However, I had access to numbers, money raised and parts of the budget for the Middle School, which was very interesting as a young student. And after any important event or dance, I was responsible for counting the money, and put a note for the principal to be transferred into a bank account. Let’s say the Student Council wanted to run an event, I would have the numbers to share with the group, and let them know what was possible.

5. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world? We did a lot of work at EB—we had a lot of classes and had to be very organized, and in that way, it did adequately prepare me for life outside of EB. If I had gone to St. Mary’s, I would’ve been a very good student. But I learned a lot of things that I wouldn’t have learned at other schools, I believe. I do feel like I’m a citizen of the world—because at EB you learn so much about other cultures and languages. In Middle School, not only do you learn French or English, but you also have a choice to learn Spanish or Mandarin—whichever you want to choose. I feel like I can go to any Asian, African, European, South American country, and hold my own in those spaces. Of course, I don’t know everything about every culture or country, but EB has taught me a lot about the world.

“I do feel like I’m a citizen of the world— because at EB you learn so much about other cultures and languages.”

CÉLINE VEGA

CLASS OF 2001

What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why?

I really enjoyed the close student-teacher relationships and one on one attention and support that the teachers give to their students. I also enjoyed the close friendships I made over the years.

2. Please describe your current work/studies.

I work in Clinical Research as a Trial Master File Specialist. The Trial Master File is a repository where all documents from a clinical trial are filed. My job is to review all documents that are submitted and ensure all documentation is present and filed in accordance to regulatory requirements and Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession?

I’m not sure that EB has influenced my choice of profession, but it has played in important role in helping me to obtain the skillset that I have now. For example, some of my strengths—which are key to my current role—include being very organized and meticulous and also being able to meet deadlines, all of which I learned from an early age at EB. 4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB?

The dual immersion environment is a unique experience. It may feel daunting at the beginning, especially if French is not spoken in the home, but children are resilient and will be learning all they need to in the classroom. It is also a great place to form long-lasting relations with peers and teachers.

5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. 7. Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why?

I would consider sending my children to EB because I know that they will have a solid foundation which will help them in all aspects of their life and they will make solid friendships and relationships that will stay with them for many years.

I loved the field trip to Washington D.C. as well as the French exchange program. These are great experiences that are unique to EB and have left an impression on me.

6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world?

I do feel that EB adequately prepared me for life. When I transitioned to the Berkeley public school system in high school, I realized I was more prepared than my peers in many ways academically and had acquired the skills I needed to do well in any setting.

“I realized I was more prepared than my peers in many ways academically and had acquired the skills I needed to do well in any setting.”

ISABEL ROSS

CLASS OF 2017

What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? One of the things that I enjoyed most about my time at EB is being a part of a tight-knit community of not only students, but of teachers, faculty, and parents as well. Having attended EB from MK all the way through 8th grade, I got the opportunity to experience firsthand the bond that students are guaranteed to form with the rest of the EB community. Having essentially grown up with my peers and having shared so many experiences with them fostered a sense of family and community that was, in so many ways, unique to EB.

Please describe your current work/ studies. Today, I am a rising sophomore at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana studying neuroscience and political science.

How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession? I believe that attending a bilingual school has inherently pushed me to be curious about other cultures and places, which has led me to approach all my studies with an open mind and a global perspective. Further, I plan to study abroad in France my junior year, a decision which has been heavily influenced by the fact that I went to EB.

What would you say to parents just starting out at EB? I would tell parents whose kids are just starting out at EB to encourage their children to expose themselves to French books, movies, music, or any kind of French media. If French is not the language spoken at home, the switch from home to school can be a little jarring and having exposure to both languages outside of an academic context is important.

Describe your favorite memory from EB. The Marché was like a wonderland for us and we were always so excited to eat crêpes, test our skill at the games, dance around to the music performances, and count our tickets in hopes of bringing home a souvenir from the craft vendors. When I got a little older, my classmates and I got to work together to organize and run the booths. The Marché created an even wider community for me to be a part of because it was not just for current students or parents or faculty; it was for anyone, which allowed me to continue going years after I graduated.

Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are acitizen of the world? In many ways, I believe that EB adequately prepared me for life after EB. While the education I received at EB was still eurocentric, I am grateful that I grew up at a school that did not have a US-centric curriculum. I believe that this bilingual education offered me so much more than just the ability to speak French; it also encouraged an open mindedness to other cultures that has been extremely vital in my current world view. In many ways I do feel like a citizen of the world, partly due to my EB education, but more so due to the timing of the political climate my generation has grown up in.

Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why? Yes, I would consider sending my children to EB! My mom and uncle went to EB, and they both made the decision to send their children there. Though I didn’t fully understand it at the time, attending EB is such a unique and special experience, and it’s one that I would want my children to have as well. Above all, EB provided me with unmatched support from teachers and faculty and that is something that I believe sets it apart from other schools.

NIRANJAN ‘NIJI’ SABHARWAL

CLASS OF 1999

What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why?

The diversity of the student body was something that has been really important to me. My wife and I currently live in Denver, and have a two-year-old daughter who just started school. Looking back, having exposure to such a broad diversity, including socioeconomic diversity, had an impact on my life and career choices.

Please describe your current work.

My work situation is very niche. With my wife, I co-founded AgentSync, a brokerage compliance company with the mission to help medical insurance companies ensure that they follow licensing requirements and regulatory compliance across fifty states.

I joined LinkedIn in 2010, preIPO, where I met my wife. I was managing the SalesOp team, and she was the system architect. We started (secretly) dating right away and started to work on a ton of fun projects together. My wife and I parted ways for a year, and I started working at Zenefits, a SFbased HR benefits payroll startup, and very quickly, the organization got into a ton of issues around regulatory compliance. As part of the SalesOp team, I realized that there was no real modern software that supported this unique problem and was ubiquitous to every insurance company. So, my wife and I left our companies, and used all of our funding to help launch AgentSync. Our idea got traction, and now we are a full-blown company!

How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession?

Honestly, I feel like I didn’t choose this profession, but EB was the best possible place for me to go to school. I truly believe that your childhood education is where you cultivate your values. My EB education gave me the best opportunities possible at the end of the day. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with an Economics Degree in 2009, which was a horrible time to find a job. Right out of college, I worked at Berkeley Stamp & Engraving Co., making $9 an hour. After a couple of months, I was recruited to work at LinkedIn through a friend of a friend—and he happened to be French!

Describe your favorite memory from EB.

The most memorable moment was that I pulled the fire alarm once. They had to march everyone out and sit everyone down.

Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world? I used to feel more like a citizen of the world, but my life is so focused on work right now. My company is U.S. based and we are going to stay that way. Before launching my company, I felt more like a citizen of the world—getting a job at LinkedIn and working out of Ireland, working on a bunch of French teams, and so on. I even had a French roommate, and from Dublin, I would take flights for 50 euros, traveling all over Europe. Had I not gone to EB, I wouldn’t have as deep of understanding of the French language and culture. My family is planning to move to France eventually, and we figured out that Nice would be a wonderful place to live!

Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why?

If I lived in the Bay Area, I would enroll my daughter in a heartbeat.

CLARA BARTLETT

CLASS OF 2021

1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? I was there from Preschool to Grade 8. Every section was very different. I really enjoyed Lower School—I had my best friend and one of my favorite teachers, Sylvie Le Meur for 1st and 2nd grade. Actually, in that class with Sylvie, she had an incubator with chicken eggs that we ended up raising in pairs. I still remember my partner was Maxence and my best friend’s partner was Oscar. As the eggs started to hatch, each group got to choose the chicks they wanted. I remember I had a gray one. We were able to take them outside sometimes, and we played with them! When our parents picked us up, we got to show them off too! When they got bigger, they moved to the garden. Most of them actually went to live with the gardening teacher, Jean-Marie. Middle School was a little tough academically, but everyone was very close—we were like a small family. Even if we didn’t talk to each other or were friends all the time, we could still hold a conversation with one another. At the end of Grade 8, we were extremely close. Also, I loved the fact that we learned French, and I thought it was a pretty cool skill to know and speak French.

2. Please describe your current studies. I’m a sophomore at College Prep currently, and most of the classes are mandatory. So this upcoming year, I’m taking Chemistry, Atlantic Worlds, Math, and English. I chose Dance and French as my electives. I struggled with Physics last year, since it’s pretty theoretical, so I’m looking forward to Chemistry since it feels more concrete—and maybe it will help me understand Physics better! I really love English as a year-long class, where we sit at a Harkness Table, which is a large, oval table, and we get to have some really great in-class discussions. I’m still looking but I’m interested in some colleges, like Pratt Institute and Cornell University—which I know is a lot of work, but would love to apply! I’m still figuring out what I want to do.

3. How do you feel EB has influenced you in school? When I arrived at College Prep, I realized that my Middle School experience was incredibly different from my friends at my new school. I think coming from a small school and small class-size made me miss EB a little bit more when I left— since a lot of the other students went to larger public schools and private schools. I did the Counselor in Training (CIT) program for summer camp this year, and visited the Middle School not too long ago, and it was nice to revisit and feel nostalgic! I think EB really helped me academically, but, of course, in French and in Math. At the Middle School, we had two Math classes in English and French for Geometry and Algebra. Not that I’m good at math, but I was able to understand the introductory classes at College Prep because of the math we learned in Middle School, so that was very helpful. Of course, high school math is much more difficult than middle school math!

4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB? The teachers are really good and students are in very good hands!

5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. I really loved all the trips we took at school, and especially the Catalina Island trip. The Coloma Trip was my first overnight field trip in the fourth grade, with my friends and to pan for gold was extremely fun. France was great as well—and to connect with the correspondents was an experience of its own! We spent such a long time there, and every student was paired with a correspondent too. I was actually paired with a friend at EB and a correspondent—and because of this experience, that person at EB and I became really close, and we’re still in touch. Catalina Island was very different from the other trips, because we got to explore the beach, go kayaking with my friends and stay in cabins together.

ALUMNI NOTES

Stellios Arseniyadis

(1986) has been running the Arseniyadis Lab at Queen Mary University of London. Their group is principally interested in developing new synthetic tools to attain high structural and functional complexity.

Alexis Brandon (2007)

started a new job at Versace this year. Félicitations !

Clara MacLeod (2009)

currently works as a Research Assistant in the Environmental Health Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, supporting trials evaluating the effectiveness of adding a WASH kit to standard outpatient treatment of severe acute malnutrition on recovery rates among children under five. She is also currently supporting research activities for the development of the upcoming guidelines for hand hygiene in community settings with the Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health unit at WHO.

Johnelle Mancha (1994)

owner of Mignonne Decor (now in Oakland on College Ave.), co-opened a French-inspired restaurant and bar, RendezVous, over the summer in Oakland as well!

Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli

(1985) has been working as a Deputy Division Chief in the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a number of years. His role is focused on monetary policy, central banking, fintech, and he is considered a top expert in the world of cryptocurrency.

Joshua Meyer (1984) moved to France with his family and children, Theodore (2022), Chloé (2024), and Océane (2024) over the summer!

Adeke Obbanya (1994)

has been working at the Bay Area Academy, supporting the workforce learning and organizational improvement needs of public social service agencies. She transitioned to the nonprofit world in 2013, following a 13-year career in corporate retail. During her spare time, Adeke sits on two boards working with one group to run a school in rural Tanzania and the other to organize medical and missionary trips to parts of Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Xavier Quan (1996) has two children, Mathilde and Chloe, at EB and and works at his family’s insurance brokerage firm.

Chinzalée Sonami (1999)

enrolled her two children, Samten and Nyima at EB.

Lauren Schumb (2008) had her baby in Germany in 2022!

Bret Turner (1995) currently works for Lovevery, a company that creates stage-based play kits for children of all ages. Coming from a strong educational and musical background, he writes content and curriculum for the company, with a focus on early childhood development. He also has been making children’s music under the pseudonym “The Tallest Kid in the Room”—check out his music on Spotify.

Natalie Uomini (1987) is currently a Senior Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. She is trained in cognitive science, linguistics, archaeology, and anthropology. Her latest project is Teaching in wild New Caledonian crows.

ALUMNI STAY IN TOUCH

EB ALUMNI RECONNECT

TEDxYouth: two inspiring alumni return! Laura Spiekerman (1996), cofounder and CRO at Alloy, came back to EB for our TEDxYouth Event to speak about the imbalance of women tasked to shepherd inclusion and reform in the fintech (financial technology) sector and in the U.S. Alloy’s API enables financial services companies to better manage their digital onboarding and identity requirements, increasing conversion and reducing fraud for banks and fintechs alike.

Anna Boser (2007) a Ph.D student in data science at UC Santa Barbara shares her story of how working in Niger and on the Paradise Fire in California inspired her passion for using quantitative methods, specifically satellite data, to understand ecosystem services that humans rely on for health and wellbeing.

Dao Fousseni Jr. (2012) joins the EB Middle School Staff! Dao joined the EB Enrichment & Athletics Department in August 2021! Dao is such a great asset to the team and knows how to engage with the Middle School kids, facilitating lively afterschool and camp programs. We are so happy to have him back, not only as a role model to our current students, but as our colleague. Merci Dao ! EB Alumni Help Out for the Summer! Several EB alumni like Clara Bartlett (2021), Babacar Sy (2020), and Rahul Kapila (2020), came back to EB over the summer—not as learners, but as counselors! Our former students were tasked with leading our younger ones in group activities, such as art workshops, cooking projects, and guiding them on field trips. Thanks to all of you—you were a huge help!

A New Generation of EB Alumni (as Parents!) Though EB was founded in 1977, we have a new generation of former EB students who have their own children enrolled at EB! Are any of them your former classmates Emily Crofton, 1999 Jessika Croizat, 1994 Hannah Lê, 1994 Mindy Longinotti, 1992 Laurent Menut, 1996 Matthew Pech, 1999 David Pruess, 1995 Xavier Quan, 1996 Raphael Rehbock, 1994 Chinzalee Sonami, 1999 Camille Winet, 1993 Nadia Zaks, 1991

Emily Crofton and Hannah Lê are also teachers at EB!

Emilie Crofton, left, teaches English in G3. Hannah Lê, right, teaches English in PS–MS and G2

ALUMNI COMMITTEE

Alumni Committee Members

Becky Andersen Golriz Ardebili Andrea Bacigalupo-

Lee Julianne Balmain Brigitte Bastrenta Anne Brandon,

Co-Chair Pat Burns Christine Chapon Tina Chen-

Chardonnet Awatif Chirar Danielle Clements Steve Cook Tamara Daney Clélia Donovan Thierry Durandard Luz de la Riva Fériel El Ghaoui Fabiola Etienne Daniela Fal Marcella Fasso Joan Finnie Ladan Gehring Hilary Goldman Amy Gordon-Risz Hülya Gürtuna Ann Hasse Brooke Hauch Joyce Hemmer Elizabeth Herzberg Virginia Hoyt Devyani Jain Florence Kragen Steve Levine Vivian Lopez Nasi Maghsoudnia

White Michelle Maguire Tina Meyer Michael Morris Susan Nehme Kim Nogay Brenda Ogburn Fatima Osman Gloria Polanski Natalie Powell Ritu Rai Rick Richetta Karma Roberts Cottie Rood Roberte Rountree Marie-José Sat Vicki Schumb, Co-

Chair Caroline Steel Joan Steele Nathalie Dubois-

Stringfellow Nathalie Valette Jacqueline Van

Lang Susan Vinluan-

Morrison Priscilla Wanerus Demir Worthington Azadeh Yazdi, Co-

Chair

Would you like to be a part of the Alumni Committee? Please reach out to alumni@eb.org. Do you have a new email address? New school or job? New exciting project? Visit the Alumni tab at eb.org and let us know via our “Stay in Touch” page. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, @eb_alumni, and LinkedIn! Our Alumni Committee is a special group of people —just talk to some of them, and they’ll tell you why they love EB so much, and why they still take time to support the school. Last year, we were able to return to some in-person events in the spring. Our Alumni Committee rallied together to continue the tradition of serving food at the G8 Graduation Dinner in the Multipurpose Room in June, where our G8 families were able to connect with one another, reminisce about their children’s journey, and reflect on their history at EB. We were also grateful to host our annual 8th Grade Parent Tribute event in person with our Alumni Committee, as a way to thank graduating G8 parents and invite them into the alumni community. In addition, because we weren’t able to properly celebrate the Class of 2020 two years ago, the Alumni Committee and EB administration organized a special reunion at the Lower School campus at the end of May. Many former EB students from this class hadn’t been back since the onset of COVID. It was a beautiful reunion, where parents, faculty, staff, and alumni laughed and connected, and we were able to properly recognize this unique alumni class as well as their recent accomplishments in high school! Thank you to our Alumni Committee Co-chairs, Anne Brandon, Vicki Schumb and Azadeh Yzadi, for all of their guidance and support, and for continuing to lead us in 2022–2023! Thank you to Alumni Committee member, Andrea Bacigalup-Lee, for organizing the special high school reunion for the Class of 2018 in the Spring. Alumni are great role models for current students and show a glimpse of our students’ futures. We are truly honored to have such a dedicated group of alumni parents and alumni that make our school truly a wonderful place.