Accomplished Alums

At the core of every fine school lies a strong Alumni Association, one that instills within the school a feeling of genuine care and concern about the welfare of the school and a sense of tradition. Breck is proud of its alumni and has established several awards to recognize particular achievement: the Distinguished Alumnus/a Award, Alumnus/a of the Year Award and Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame.
 

Sarah Fangman '86

Marine biologist Sarah Fangman's life is a great tribute to the value of keeping one's options open. Through she planned a career in psychology, Sarah used her time at Middlebury to indulge her academic curiosity. "I was attracted to an environmental studies major, mostly because I could dabble in courses from different departments," she says. "During my junior year abroad in the Virgin Islands, I discovered life underwater. That was it, and I headed to the ocean for good."

Today, she is Research Coordinator of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara, California, where she works with about 20 people under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and still thrives on variety.

Among Sarah's professional credentials is her inclusion in the Library of Congress' 2004 Women Who Dare calendar, where she is recognized for her work on the world's only underwater laboratory, as a pilot and scientist on a submersible vehicle, and as a diver with more than 1,000 research dives, at depths as much as 9,500 feet.

With her own experience as a guide, Sarah is deeply committed to encouraging young people to follow their passions -- whenever they manifest themselves. "I didn't get straight As in science," she says. "And I'm not advocating that you don't study. But it's important to avoid feeling like you don't have a chance to pursue your passion just because you don't have the grades or were a bit of a late bloomer. Anything's surmountable."

Christopher Murray '80

In just a short time, Chris has made significant strides in the field of global health. After leaving Breck, he earned a BA SC in Biology from Harvard University in 1984. As an undergraduate, Chris was honored with both Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships and received the T. Hoopes Prize in 1984 for outstanding scholarly work or research. He was awarded a Macarthur Fellowship in 1990 recognizing his extraordinary originality and dedication in his creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.

In 1991, he graduated from Harvard Medical School preceded by his study of International Health Economics at Oxford University. After medical school, Chris worked in the Department of Population and International Health at Harvard School of Public Health until 2001 when he became the Director of Global Programme on Evidence for Health Policy for the World Health Organization. In 2001, Chris became the Executive Director of Evidence and Information for Policy Cluster with the World Health Organization while serving as an Adjunct Professor of International Health Economics at Harvard. Currently, he is the Director for the Harvard University Initiative for Global Health while also serving as a Professor of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a Richard Saltonstall Professor of Public Policy at Harvard School of Public Health and a Professor of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. 

Peace Corps Volunteers - A number of Breck alumni have been energetic workers for world peace as members of the Peace Corps. They include Peter Martin '93, John Myers '94, Alicen Burns '95, Jason Ilstrup '95 and Steve Spaulding '96. Summing up his experience, Spaulding says, "I have learned more about others and myself than I did in any other two-year period in my life. It has been difficult, but so, so worth every hardship. I don't know exactly how I have changed, but I know I have a greater understanding of Bolivia, its culture, and myself."

 

Rob Melrose '88

Rob Melrose '88 - Artistic director and co-founder of San Francisco's Cutting Ball Theater, director, playwright and teacher, credits numerous Breck faculty members for igniting his passion. The Cutting Ball's mission is "to develop productions of experimental new plays and re-visioned classics with an emphasis on language and images."  Says Rob of theater: "It's not just fun and entertainment. It's ideas and philosophy worked out onstage—and something you can keep working on for life."

Know of other accomplished Breck alums?

Please send e-mail telling us who they are, why they're noteworthy and how we can contact them.