OUT & ABOUT alumnae news

Simanskis '15 Follows Love of Sports to NHL

Emily Simanskis ’15 has followed her love of sports directly to the National Hockey League (NHL) where she works as a social media coordinator for the Chicago Blackhawks.

After earning degrees in journalism and sports journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Simanskis interned with the National Football League’s (NFL) Denver Broncos for the 2019 season. From there, she became a social media intern with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in 2020 before the global COVID-19 pandemic ended that experience.

“Because the professional sports world had come to a grinding halt, from July 2020 to August 2022 I lived and worked in Sheridan, Wyoming as a sports reporter and social media manager for a junior hockey team,” she said. “That experience led to my current position with the Chicago Blackhawks as a social media coordinator.”

Simanskis points to her experiences at Chatham Hall as the foundation for her professional path.

“Being surrounded by faculty, staff, and peers who fearlessly and wholeheartedly believed in girls and young women made me confident, independent, and ultimately successful throughout college and my professional career,” she noted.

“Chatham Hall taught me that the best way to support women is to support each other personally and professionally and, in the wake of my mother's death, I learned that Chatham Hall's support, from my best friends to staff to peers, is enduring and everlasting.”

During her time at the School, Simanskis was a member of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) team. She competed at the 2015 National Championships in Florida, though that week-long experience takes a backseat in her memory to the IEA Zone Championships at which the team found out they would be going to Nationals.

“Our team had missed the opportunity to qualify for IEA's National Championships the year before, and we were nervous to see if the 2015 team would place in the top three and advance to Nationals,” she explained.

“Chatham Hall's name wasn't called for third place, and we assumed the worst before a follow-up announcement turned our disbelief into elation and many, many hugs and cheers from our team. And the realization that our group would compete at Nationals!”

Other Chatham Hall memories include Samantha Fleming, Simanskis’ Advisor, coach, and “second mom” for three years. Simanskis credits Fleming with teaching her problem solving, leadership, and more.

“She advocated for me and supported me unconditionally, though often with doses of tough love, and treated me as an adult, a hallmark of many faculty and staff at Chatham Hall. I am forever grateful for her support during my time at Chatham Hall and continued love afterwards,” Simanskis said.

To today’s and future Turtles, Simanskis has some simple yet valuable advice.

“It's so cliche, but enjoy the time you have with your friends and the faculty above all else. I cannot remember any of the assignments I stressed over during my time at Chatham Hall, but I can still recall late nights I spent on dorm with friends.”

Alumna Spotlight: Molly Baskin ‘14

For Molly Baskin ’14, memories of Chatham Hall often feature two things: meals at Yardley Dining Hall and legendary faculty member Cathy “La” LaDuke.

“Mealtime was always so fun at Chatham,” she remembered. “I loved when everyone would pull up chairs and sit and laugh together. I feel like we always had the best conversations in Yardley.”

La, known for enjoying a meal and great conversations in Yardley, had a hand in making Baskin feel like part of the Chatham Hall family.

“I was usually one of the last students to leave campus before breaks or holidays, and La would always invite me to hang out and have cookies while most of campus was gone. We would also do frequent Starbucks runs on the weekends. Her taste in music was always a crowdpleaser in the car.”

Being part of a tight-knit community meant a lot to Baskin and was the perfect environment in which to learn more about independence and self-reliance. With meaningful relationships among community members, it was an ideal atmosphere for learning how to support others – something Baskin took with her to Elon University where she double majored in business administration and marketing, with many classes focusing on data analytics.

“My first job out of school was for a tech startup that offered a data analytics platform catering to associations and nonprofits. I held a couple of different positions while I was there, working with engineers internally and externally with clients. Several years later I made the decision to make a career change and go into a different industry,” she said.

“I found that Mastercard had great offerings, and the people that I met in each interview made me want to work there more and more. I think I interviewed for five or six different positions, with seventeen interviews total, before landing the role I have now. I think one thing to learn from that is you can always try again until you see the result you are looking for. And don’t be discouraged by the answer ‘no!’”

During her journey, Baskin learned a lot about believing in herself while also learning from others.

“Always take a seat at the table when given the opportunity, even if you feel like you don’t ‘deserve’ to be there,” she advised. “Don’t be the one to discredit yourself. And remember that it is important to find mentors to help lead and support you during your career journey. They do not have to be at your company, or on your team, but find people where you can learn from their experiences to help grow and pave your own. It is also ok to have multiple mentors, they can all bring different perspectives.”

Today, in addition to being a senior specialist, product management at Mastercard, Baskin has also found a nonprofit with which to volunteer to help preserve horse accessible land in her local area of Greenwich, Conn. A keen equestrian while at Chatham Hall, she continues this love of riding as often as she can.

Living Well Alumnae Speaker Series Features Wilkes Chand '03

In December, Mary Elizabeth Wilkes Chand ’03 offered an installment of the Living Well Alumnae Speaker Series with “Catching Your Breath This Holiday Season.”

A licensed clinical social worker and board approved clinical supervisor, Wilkes Chand began the event with a mindful check-in, discussed the effects of stress on the body, and offered tips for stress reduction. She focused on mindfulness as a way to reduce stress and offered advice on practicing mindfulness including getting comfortable, setting a time limit, observing your body, and focusing your attention.

She also discussed how to make mindfulness a habit, including to make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.

“This was a great way for Chatham Hall alumnae to get together at the start of a busy season, and provide support to one another during what can be a very stressful time,” said Associate Director of Alumnae & Parent Relations Kristin Reese Solomon '08. “It was wonderful to see so many alumnae interested in learning more about how to live well.”