What kinds of things did you like at Nysmith?
I always liked math! I remember doing the “magic minute” math sheets throughout the elementary school grades, and enjoying it! The math at Nysmith was always taught with a real-world context, which made it more interesting. I also loved those crosshatch logic puzzles… Mary’s car is not red or blue… Sam only drives sedans… Which car is Mary’s?
Outside of Nysmith, I swam competitively for Curl Burke (now Nation’s Capital Swim Club), which shaped a lot of my childhood. During middle school, I had swim practice before school five days a week (thanks Mom!) and had swim meets 1-2 weekends a month. Throughout my swimming career, I learned that hard work really does pay off, and I translated that to my education and my career as well.
What did you do after Nysmith?
After Nysmith, I went to Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia. I continued swimming competitively, and represented Westfield at the Virginia High School State Championship each year. After Westfield, I went to the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. My dad pushed me towards going to engineering school, where I discovered and majored in Systems Engineering – the perfect major for me – as it combines business, technology, and math. At UVA, I lead the Virginia Club Swim team and was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. I also found my love for coffee, tennis, spin classes, Charlottesville and studying at libraries, and made some of my best friends (many of which were at or in my wedding this fall!).
Tell us about your current job at Deloitte Consulting’s Federal Analytics and Information Management practice.
I have been very fortunate to begin my career at Deloitte; Deloitte is similar to Nysmith in several ways – everyone is very intelligent and supportive and everyone brings a unique perspective. I really enjoy solving our clients’ business problems with technology solutions and answering their questions with analytics. Most of my projects have been designing and developing end-to-end analytics tools using the agile methodology, which focuses on the end-users and delivering working software iteratively. It’s a fast moving environment!
How did going to Nysmith impact your life?
Nysmith allowed me to get way ahead in math – when I went to public high school, I was the only freshman in Calculus. By senior year, I was taking math courses beyond AP. When I went to UVA, I was able to quickly finish the math classes required for my engineering degree and focus on the courses related to my major (Systems Engineering) and some more-fun electives. This math background has made me a very logical person now – I like to know the facts, the details, and the end-to-end process when tackling problems at work.
The Nysmith culture and small classroom setting allowed me become really comfortable speaking in front of a room, sharing my point of view, asking a tricky question, or admitting I don’t completely understand something. This has allowed me to build strong, genuine relationships and I believe, has helped me become more successful.
What advice (if any) would you give to a current Nysmith student and/or parent?
Keep in touch with Nysmith students after you graduate – they go off to do amazing things! And if you’re still in school, ask your fellow students what their parents do – I bet it’s pretty interesting too!
Favorites
Field Trip
I think the most memorable was visiting New York City – I had never been before, and it was (and still is) a completely different city than DC. I remember having a new digital camera, and taking some panoramic photos of the NYC skyline. Our trip was a year or two before 9/11, and those photos became extra meaningful.
Science Fair Project
I don’t remember any science fair project particularly well. To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan, but I now appreciate the exercise and am glad my dad always had ideas for topics!
Place to hang out at Nysmith
At the original Nysmith, I was always on the soccer field. Once I got into swimming, I think I got lazy during recess! I also never missed a dance… do they still have those?!
Classroom story involving one of your teachers
This isn’t about a teacher specifically… but I remember in Mrs. Klein’s class, someone threw a mechanical pencil and the granite stick landed on my hand. I still have a mark on my right hand from where it landed! Also, I STILL remember the smell of the room when we were dissecting frogs or pigs… every so often, a room will smell like that and I will mention it, and the response is always “you know what that smells like?” “yup!”
Nysmith Memory
Christine Curley and I met at Nysmith in 2nd grade – and we have been close ever since! This fall, she was one of my bridesmaids in my wedding, and her parents hosted a last-minute after-party for us, complete with s’mores and Taco Bell!
Do you still know all the words to the 50 states song?
No… What state were you? North Dakota (bonus, my country was Bolivia!)