Distinguished Alumna Award: Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77

Thoughtful Leadership and a Lifetime of Dedication 2022 Distinguished Alumna Award Honoree

Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77

It was not exactly serendipity that brought 2022 Distinguished Alumna Award honoree Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77 to Dana Hall from her childhood home in Singapore. She was the only girl in her family, and she was jealous that her brothers got to go to boarding school in Australia. When her parents went to visit her brothers at their school, Ishizuka took matters into her own hands. “I wanted a school in a place that was far enough away from home so my parents would have to really think about it before they could visit me,” she admitted. “I had a strategy to find a school based on what I thought would get my parents to allow me to leave. I focused on Massachusetts, because Harvard was there.” Ishizuka went to the U.S. Embassy on her own to learn how to apply to schools, and a librarian there helped her research towns and schools within a certain radius of Boston. Dana Hall had a rolling admission policy at the time, and accepted her.

When her parents returned from Australia, her father initially said no to Dana Hall, but two weeks later he came around. Ishizuka arrived on campus and found herself living in the Johnston dormitories with a very strict parental permissions form; she was only allowed to leave campus for schoolsponsored events and chaperoned activities. These limitations resulted in two fortuitous outcomes. First, Ishizuka signed up for every possible outing and cultural opportunity, soaking in plays, concerts, museums and sporting events. “Dana Hall was not just a great academic experience but a great cultural experience, as I learned so much about the United States,” explained Ishizuka. Second, in addition to becoming friends with girls who had similarly limited permissions forms, she became very close to many of the adults who lived and worked on campus. One of those people was Rosanna Kazanjian, whose office was located in Johnston Main, where Ishizuka would frequently hang out. “She was the nicest possible person, and she invited me to her home several times over the course of my three years at Dana,” said Ishizuka. “That’s how I met [her daughter] Hélène, who was a day student and a year behind me.” It was a connection that would prove to be very important many years later.

After Dana Hall, Ishizuka went on to Wellesley College and graduated in the height of a recession. She ultimately landed a job in finance with a commercial bank in New York City, where she rose through the ranks and was promoted quickly, becoming a managing director just before her 32nd birthday. Her promotion provoked a bit of anxiety among her older, male colleagues, and she was told her title would change but that the accompanying benefits would be delayed for a year. “It was my age, then it was my gender, then it was my ethnicity,” said Ishizuka, who notes that her story was not unusual. “That combination didn’t work for them at the time, but I focused on the long term and eventually enjoyed a successful career at the same institution that hired me out of college.”

Years later Ishizuka moved to Japan as her husband’s work took him there. She was able to line up a new position and ended up implementing and managing the credit and lending platform for the same bank in the Asia Pacific region. At the time of the move to Tokyo, her daughters were heading into first grade and fourth grade, and Ishizuka and her husband were excited to have their girls experience living internationally. Ishizuka traveled extensively for work, and ultimately she decided to stop working when her older daughter was heading into her early teen years to spend more time with them.

Ishizuka had always stayed connected with Dana Hall, attending events in New York and meeting with representatives from Admission and Advancement when they would visit Tokyo. It was an email from her friend Hélène Kazanjian ’78 that helped to elevate her involvement with the School. “I happened to be picking up one of my daughters at the end of the school term, when I received an email from Hélène that said the Dana Hall was looking to add some new Board