Growing Roots in Strong Winds: Alumni Impact

Emily Cohen ’98 walking the runway at Runway for Recovery's 15th Anniversary Runway Show

GROWING ROOTS IN STRONG WINDS: ALUMNI IMPACT NASHOBA BROOKS SCHOOL ALUMNI make a positive impact in their schools and their communities.

When they identify a problem in need of a solution, they take action. We had the opportunity to speak with several graduates who channeled their desire to address community concerns by founding non-profit organizations. Sparked by personal experiences, these graduates focused their understanding, skills, and determination to acknowledge and address inequities by improving support for families who have lost a family member, providing warm and durable clothing for individuals who do not have consistent housing, or developing more inclusive classroom discussion methods.

In each scenario, Nashoba Brooks’ graduates decide not simply to identify an issue or to support it from afar; instead, they bring people together to find productive ways to make a difference. What is even more incredible 4 | NA SH OB A BROOK S S CHOOL BU LLE T I N

is how often these graduates are likely to tackle these challenges together.

Liza Garonzik ’03, knew she wanted to pursue a career in education. “During my years at Harvard, I became interested in an international non-profit called Circle of Women that focused specifically on girls’ education, and it was a women-led organization,” she explains.

Her role at Circle expanded quickly as she was able to “be involved in everything from operations to board work.” Liza remarks, “I learned how to build and scale an organization, and I saw the power of a female-run organization, especially in the way we communicated with each other.”

These experiences planted the seed for the next step in her professional career as a teacher and administrator at

The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Liza started paying attention to “the dynamics of deception in a classroom, particularly thinking critically about how we assess discussion.” She observed during studentled discussions that the voices that were heard were those who were also “successful in my gradebook.”

She felt her assessment practices were at fault, not the students themselves, so she developed a system to “broaden the definition of success in discussion, to make it more accessible to more students.” Over the next five years, Liza created R.E.A.L. Discussion. “I remember one Grandparents’ Day, the kids wanted to showcase a ‘R.E.A.L.’ Discussion, and, when we finished, the grandparents were amazed. They told me, ‘This is what our government needs,’ and ‘We need this method at Thanksgiving.’” Their perspective made her realize R.E.A.L. should not be just a “pedagogical intervention,” because it also has applications outside of the classroom.

In early January 2021, Liza made the decision to leave Westminster and dedicate her focus to R.E.A.L.: “I realized I was sitting on a tool that could help children learn to communicate across the lines of difference, and I wasn’t doing everything in my power to get it out there.”

Liza’s organization grew quickly. As interest grew and the

work expanded, Liza hired Nashoba Brooks’ graduates to help bring R.E.A.L. to the next level. Katherine Burd ’06, who practices R.E.A.L. Discussion in her English classroom at The Chapin School, came on board as an editor for R.E.A.L.’s blog, and Lily Faucett ’16 joined as an intern. Lily came to work for Liza after experiencing discussions in her secondary school that were “difficult to join” because “everyone was competing to talk, and certain aggressive students talked the most.” Lily credits Ms. Rabb’s Grade 8 English class at Nashoba Brooks for helping her to build the confidence and skills to successfully navigate discussions in high school and college, “I think what Liza is doing is so important, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

Lexie Steinert ’17 was also inspired by personal experience to take action and help others. In high school, Lexie struggled with anxiety, but was able to receive guidance and develop skills to combat this challenge successfully. “I needed a community,” she says, “a whole group of people to help me emerge from that period, and when I eventually came through it, I became aware of how fortunate I was to have the ability to acquire all of that help.” This is when Lexie decided, much like Liza, to help others who might not know how to speak up for

Liza Garonzik ’03 with a group of R.E.A.L. Discussion students FALL/ WI N T E R 2022 | 5

discovered that the National Alliance for Mental Illness and the Chase York Foundation were two charitable organizations that were helping people suffering like I did.” Project Smiles raises awareness through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and provides a conduit for donations: “We wanted to reach a younger audience, and I wanted them to see that it’s possible to make it through. I did this by telling my own story to reach a broad audience in support of young people in need of help.”

Olivia Achtmeyer Boger ’95 started an organization by telling her story. Olivia’s mother, who fought breast cancer for over a decade, passed away when Olivia was just beginning her college career. After her mother passed, Olivia’s world changed. Everything becomes more difficult because of the “strain losing a parent can have on a family unit.” Her family saw how imperative outside support could be during these years, and Olivia knew that most households dealing with breast cancer did not have the means to shore up the damage such a loss created: “I knew there were organizations raising money for breast cancer research, but it was difficult to find any raising money for families affected by the disease.”

Lexie Steinert ’17 with Project Smiles apparel

themselves. Lexie created Project Smiles at the end of her junior year at Groton School, and continues this work while studying at Vanderbilt University. Lexie works to raise money for teens struggling with mental illness: “With the help of my mom, Hilary Steinert, I

Like Liza, Olivia went into education after college, teaching English and working in administrative roles first at Middlesex School and then at Phillips Academy Andover and The Fenn School for 12 years. Olivia notes, “My mother taught me to value education. Her desire for me was to pursue as much as I could, and so it made sense after college that I would pursue a master’s degree in education.” As Olivia was starting her career,

Olivia Achtmeyer Boger ’95 welcoming guests to the 15th Anniversary Runway for Recovery Show

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she decided to rent out a space and hold a Runway for Recovery fundraising event, to celebrate “brave survivors and individuals walking in memory” of those they lost to breast cancer. It was a joyous event, meant to show families that they weren’t alone in their struggle, and the money that Olivia raised went to the Patient and Caregiver Fund of the Mass General Cancer Center. The event grew both in venue size and participation. “I had a few, very dear friends tell me that ‘after 12 years, Runway has legs to be something bigger,’” Olivia explained, and when someone encouraged her to “Imagine what you could do if you took it full time,” she decided to do just that.

Starting in 2019, Runway for Recovery evolved from an annual event to an official non-profit supporting families directly. It was no longer just a conduit for other organizations: “When we started giving grants directly, we got to know the families better.” The more personal interactions helped to raise visibility and unlocked a floodgate of new ideas. Runway for Recovery not only issued grants, they found and vetted resources like childcare and counseling; paid for academic tutors, financial advisors, and even family meals. Olivia and her growing team addressed needs on a case-by-case basis, bringing families some calm in the storm. And recently, because of the compassion and dedication of another Nashoba Brooks alumna, Emily Cohen ’98, Runway has created its first scholarship.

Olivia knew of Emily as a classmate of her younger sister, and also knew that Emily was also 20 years old when her mother died from breast cancer. “Emily sought me out soon after her mom died. She had heard of Runway and looked me up through my sister’s Facebook page,” Olivia explains. As a self-described introvert, Emily was hesitant to get up on the Runway stage, but Olivia convinced her: “She did not want to do it at first. Her mother had just passed and she was grieving. It was so brave when she stepped onto the runway. There was not a dry eye in the room.” Emily remembers feeling “all of a sudden, just, empowered by all these people I didn’t know.”

Today Emily works in biotech, having earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard Medical School. She is currently working on fighting cancer at its source. Emily has had a huge impact at Runway by helping to create a new scholarship initiative. Emily worked directly with the first recipient of the scholarship, helping her apply and get into a great high school. Emily has now known Olivia for more than 30 years, “and it all started at Nashoba Brooks.”

“The strongest of roots grow in the greatest of winds,” is the yoga mantra that motivated Lexie’s Project Smiles logo. It is a rugged bush above ground with roots that are three times as deep. Each of these organizations has put down strong roots, anchoring those served by their respective missions. Liza, Olivia, Lily, Katherine, Lexie and Emily all saw the great winds for what they were, then they got to work. Talking with fellow alumni at a Board of Visitors meeting several years ago, Liza noted that “Everyone feels this way about Nashoba Brooks: We were always taught to speak up and to trust our voices and our opinions, but we were also taught to think about whose voices weren’t being heard and how important it was to make space for them.” Together, Nashoba Brooks graduates go into the world with the empathy necessary to recognize important needs and the creative problem-solving skills to take on the challenges they see.

The Project Smiles logo

Olivia Achtmeyer Boger ’95, Rebecca Campbell Melendez, and Emily Cohen ’98 at a Rally for Runway cycling event FALL/ WI N T E R 2022 | 7