When I Grow Up I Want to Be

Chris and his girlfriend Becca, enjoying a friend’s wedding in Traverse City last fall.

Chris Theodorou ‘09

6 WINTER 2020 While a student at Elgin Academy, Chris Theodorou ‘09 had dreams of becoming a doctor. He particularly enjoyed Bobbie Nabor’s AP biology class and science in general. But, he also liked to perform. During his time at Elgin Academy, he was in every theatre and choral performance and was a member of Encore. He even portrayed the Music Man himself, Professor Harold Hill in EA’s 2009 production of The Music Man.

“I didn’t realize until many years after graduation that this was out of the ordinary, but Elgin Academy offered me the ability to be involved in seemingly everything. All theatre productions, choir, show choir, mock trial, Model UN, soccer, and track and field (all four years). I was constantly doing things.”

Chris truly embraced the idea of a liberal arts education both while a student at Elgin Academy and later at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. When he started college, he chose a major in biology because it aligned with the classes that he enjoyed most at Elgin Academy but he also continued to perform in an a cappella group and to take classes in vocal performance. His plans to become a doctor didn’t keep him from exploring other areas of interest that would prove to serve him well when the time came for him to begin his career.

Shortly after taking the Medical College Admission Tests (MCATs), Chris realized that perhaps being a doctor was no longer his dream job. He wondered if he could blend his degree in Biology with his love for performance into a career that still related to medicine but offered a broad opportunity to use all of his strengths. Upon graduation, Chris accepted a position at The Advisory Board (now Optum) in Washington, DC. He began working in sales making cold calls and found that he was flexing more of his interpersonal and performance skills

than his biology skills. As time went on, he branched out into consulting. Currently he consults with hospitals, helping them to coordinate their billing structure with insurance companies. He also negotiates with insurance companies and helps patients manage their financial out-of-pocket insurance expenses. In total, Chris helps piece all the individual parts of the health care and insurance process into one package.

Several years later and still working at Optum, Chris often jokes that he utilizes his performance background on a day-to-day basis. He regularly finds himself presenting to groups of 25-35 hospital executives at a time. He’s glad to be able to feel comfortable in front of large numbers of people as well as in small one-on-one meetings. He feels his performance skills that developed at Elgin Academy allow him to be comfortable in any position where he has to present his ideas, often to high level administrators.

In addition to his appreciation for what he learned in Ms. Bayer’s and Ms. Cinquemani-Thomas’ class, Chris also says he owes a debt of gratitude to Ms. Merrill and Dr. Hering, who Chris says, “provided me with some of the most formative and important skills that I use every single day.” Chris explains that what he learned in their classes provided him with the invaluable skill to take his thoughts and crystalize them down to clear and concise arguments that he can present to his clients in a persuasive and informative way. The amount of writing he does on a day-to-day basis makes these skills vital, and with his performance and strong science background, it would seem that Chris has found the perfect career.

When not consulting with hospital executives and helping patients, Chris still enjoys performing. As a member of Flash Band, a Washington D.C. coined “mini build-a-band”, Chris meets up with other musicians who have never performed together. They pick a musical theme, maybe write a song or two, put together a 15 minute set, and then play a gig together (for the first time!). No doubt, Chris’ experiences at Elgin Academy also prepared him to think on his feet, handle time pressure, work well with others, and have fun!