more than 30 countries used by over 500 million people. Hunt served as a Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and on the founding task force of the Open Government Partnership, a coalition of 65 countries committed to transparency and accountability. She currently serves as an advisory board member to Code for All, Code for America’s global network, and regularly advises startups, policy leaders and organizations on how to use data and technology to solve public problems. Hunt is a graduate of Middlebury College, where she served as student body president. Sophia Akatue, LaVergne, Tenn., gave the student address during the ceremony. Josephine Hardin '15, Geetha Gowda '15, Parker Hyde '15, and Matthew Cooper '15
Hunt added, “Now while we’re on the topic of honesty -- mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I said that phrase a few more times than I would have liked back in the day.” The alumnus noted that Webb was a great place to learn how to make mistakes … and added that she was surprised to discover that many places don’t support the “mistake maker in all of us.” Hunt said she was lucky to land at Google, a place that assumes tackling tough problems often means making mistakes and where everyone is encouraged to think beyond the possible. “Webb taught us that being afraid of failure or making mistakes shouldn’t stop you from trying to do the right thing. And that doesn’t mean flying blind or assuming you have all the answers. Great teachers help us turn mistakes into wisdom. As you know, we’re lucky to have incredible teachers at Webb. Great teachers stretch us beyond ourselves.” “We’ve often heard the story of Little Brown Jug and the call to pedigree your ancestors -- that if you work hard and put your mind to it, anything is possible regardless of the circumstances in which you were born. But circumstances do matter and can give you a leg up -- the fact that you’re sitting here today makes you more privileged than 99.999% of the world.”
The Webb School Magazine
She added, “Today you’re surrounded by people who love you and gave a lot of themselves to help you get this far in life. They’ll continue to be your lifeboat along the way. In the years to come, I can’t wait to hear about your adventures. Congratulations, enjoy every minute, and I have no doubt that you’ll make new traditions.”
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Prior to her current position, Hunt was a Strategy Principal at Google, where she cofounded Google’s Public Sector engineering team that launched programs and products in
As part of the commencement ceremony, Ron Gao, Dalian, China, received the highest academic honor in the class, the Anna Landis Hightower Award, which honors the student with the highest grade-point average for four years at Webb, and the John Hardin Highest Scholastic Award for achieving the highest scholastic average in his senior year. McKenna Hoover, Manchester, Tenn., received the John Lewis Morgan Award, which is presented annually to the student who has maintained a high standard of excellence in his or her academic work and who has demonstrated the highest qualities of good citizenship in the service of the school. Also recognized was L.R. Smith, history faculty member, chapel director and trap and skeet coach, who received the David Newton McQuiddy Award. The winner of the award is selected by a vote of the student body. The David Newton McQuiddy Award is given by the family of David Newton McQuiddy to honor a teacher who has integrity, is loyal to Webb and its ideals, is dedicated to the profession, and who encourages sound character development and academic excellence. “This year’s recipient needs little introduction to our audience. He is completing his 37th year at Webb. In that time, his wit, wisdom, and discipline, have both intimidated and warmed the hearts of thousands of students in history classes,” said Broadhead. “Additionally, as our school historian, he tells great stories about Sawney and the founding of the school, none more entertaining than “Little Brown Jug”. “He is a schoolmaster. It is a vanishing breed. He is lover of life, and he is the Tennessee version of a Renaissance Man – Scholar, Hunter, and Farmer.” As part of the ceremony, Broadhead recognized the Webb faculty as a group. There was special recognition given to faculty and staff who will reach five-, 10-, 15- and 30-year milestones when the 2015-2016 school year begins. Also recognized were departing faculty and staff, including Bill Rice, Ron Smith and Linda Williams, who have a combined 87 years of Webb experience and have been honored at previous school events. For complete coverage of the 2015 Graduation – videos, photos and full story, visit the website at www.thewebbschool.com
Award winner Ron Gao with parents, Yang Gao and Yang Lu