Archives: Alumni

Andrew Leblanc

Settling upon MIT was initially a big, scary decision for me, but the process became easier with a bit of research. Crucial in my decision was the wealth of resources I’ll have there. The students, professors, alumni network, labs, and maker spaces are second to none at MIT. Equally important was the culture. At many competitive universities, you’ll find a cut-throat, competitive sort of environment, but no one I’ve spoken to has said such about MIT. Everyone there is in it together, helping to push each other up rather than simply outperforming them.

Derryfield was an excellent resource in navigating what is an undoubtedly intimidating process. They started us off early in the spring of our junior year—a time when a lot of high school students aren’t even thinking about college yet. My essay coaching was fantastic in that it was individual, specific, and really honest. It’s a great feeling to have someone just as invested in producing good writing as you are. Finally, Derryfield is encouraging. I wasn’t even going to apply to MIT going into senior year, as I thought it was completely out of my reach. I’m immensely thankful for all of the gentle nudges from my advisors, teachers, and coaches that resulted in the best outcome I could have asked for.

Jamie Ducharme

Author and journalist, Jamie Ducharme, graduated from Derryfield in 2011 and then attended Northeastern University to pursue a degree in journalism. In January of 2013, Ducharme secured an internship as a health reporter at Boston Health Magazine. Eventually she transitioned to working for the magazine full time. Despite her demanding schedule as a journalist, Ducharme took college courses at night. She then moved to New York City to work for Time Magazine as a news reporter, staff writer, and most recently, health correspondent. Through her reporting at Time, she began writing about the dangerous rise of Juuling and vaping. This work led to Ducharme’s first book, Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul, published in May of 2021. Macmillan Publishers describes the book: “With rigorous reporting and clear-eyed prose that reads like a nonfiction thriller, Big Vape uses the dramatic rise of Juul to tell a larger story of big business, Big Tobacco, and the high cost of a product that was too good to be true.” When asked how her time at Derryfield shaped her journalistic career, Ducharme recounted hours spent with beloved librarian Betty Jipson, and the rigor of Mr. Anthony’s English class. She remembered her days as a writer for Lamplighter and said that while she did not know what form her literary skills would take when she left DS, the foundation she built here carried her through her career. Ducharme’s book is now being turned into a Netflix Documentary Series. “The docuseries happened totally by chance,” she says. “Amblin, the production company I’m working with, was interested in doing a project about Juul and they happened to learn last year that I had signed a book deal with Henry Holt, my [book] publisher”. Big Vape was sent to the production company who felt enthusiastic about making the story fit into a television format. Ducharme and filmmaker, RJ Cutler, recently signed a deal with Netflix. Ducharme says she is excited to have the opportunity to be a consulting producer on the show, which means she will be able to guide the production team’s research and interviews to ensure that the show matches her book. We don’t yet have an air date, but we’ll keep you posted!

“Derryfield was very much a place where you could do anything. You didn’t need any experience, DS would help you do it. They instilled a confidence and willingness to try new things that was scary, but necessary” – Jamie Ducharme ‘11

Randall Krantz

Randall Krantz graduated from Derryfield in 1991 and went on to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for his BA in Mechanical Engineering. Building upon a love for travel and language that he discovered while at Derryfield, Krantz studied abroad in France at the Université de Technologie de Compiègne and continued his studies in Mechanical Engineering, this time strictly in French. After his time in college, he worked as a control systems field engineer for General Electric Power Systems. Krantz then moved to Alaska and worked at Anchorage Municipal Light and Power before he pursued his MBA at IESE Business School. After his time abroad, he decided a life of travel and cultural immersion was just what he was searching for. During his MBA studies Krantz landed a project management consulting position in San Salvador, El Salvador followed by a start-up management position in London, England. During his time in London he co-founded what is now known as the Responsible Business Club, which looks at problems with an eye for social and environmental consciousness. Krantz next landed in Geneva, Switzerland, a place of mountains and cold weather, much like New Hampshire. In Geneva, Randall began working for the World Economic Forum where he helped initiate their work on climate change, environmental sustainability and consumption. Krantz then seized an opportunity to do some government advising work in Bhutan for two years. Krantz and his wife took a risk and quit their jobs to make the move, but he recalls the choice as one of the best he’s ever made. His time in Bhutan taught him the issues he was working to fix regarding the climate crisis could not be solved without taking a step back and looking at ways to provide equitable solutions to sustainability and consumption. When he returned to Geneva in 2016, Krantz was committed to making sustainability accessible for all people and now works on shipping decarbonization and helping companies set realistic and accountable climate targets. He recalls his time at Derryfield as foundational for the path he has since chartered, citing Mr. Rob Bradley’s chemistry experiments and Señor Gomez’s trip to Spain as major influences in his life. Krantz says that Derryfield taught him to take risks and look at problems more deeply and formed the roots of his character and his life. 

“Derryfield is very very accepting of things outside the ”’normal”. There is an exploratory attitude around it. There is always a teacher encouraging you to go do something crazy; crazy in the best way.” – Randall Krantz ‘91

Dick Jardine

Dick Jardine graduated from Derryfield in 1971 on a scholarship that the school offered at the time for students who were going to go into the military service after high school. Jardine was one of seven children in his family and knew if he went into the Army he could be the first one in his family to receive a college education. He also knew this was the only way for him to accomplish his dream of being a math teacher. After Derryfield, Jardine was accepted into the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point. After being a cadet for four years there, he went on to serve in the Army for five years. Jardine’s first assignment was as a Platoon Leader at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Following that assignment he went to Germany as a Communication and Personal Officer where he commanded a company and was promoted to Captain. His Captain status qualified him to go back to school as well as to teach at West Point. Jardine was sent to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for his masters in mathematics. After graduating from RPI, he went back and taught math at West Point for a few years. He then went to Alaska and became an Executive Officer which authorized him as a Major. During his time in Alaska, Jardine learned about a Trade Program in which America and Britain exchanged personnel. He signed up and went to live in North Yorkshire, where he served for the British Royal Signals Regiment. Once he returned from across the pond, Jardine went back to RPI to earn his PhD in Mathematics and taught again at West Point. He retired from the Army in 1999 and moved back to New Hampshire to become a professor in the mathematics department at Keene State University. Jardine was the department chair for 16 years and introduced online teaching programs for math classes at Keene State.

Outside of his career journey, Jardine has a great love for running. He coached the Cadet marathon team for many years and he himself has completed over 40 marathons, including qualifying for and running the Boston Marathon eight times and running the Mount Washington Road Race a dozen times. He ran three half-marathons over the 2020-2021 year and is training for a fall marathon.

“Derryfield helped build my self confidence and made me realize that I could do more than I ever thought I could do.” – Dick Jardine ‘71

Shuting Zhang

Shuting Zhang is an international alum who graduated from Derryfield in 2016. She went on to the University of Toronto and graduated with a BS in computer science. While in school, Zhang worked for a year as an intern at FormHero as a junior JavaScript developer. She graduated from the University of Toronto in June of 2021 and has since been working in software development. Zhang remembers her time at Derryfield fondly and spoke highly of her host family whom she connects with every year at Christmas time. She said that while the culture shock of coming to high school in America was challenging, Derryfield and her host family worked hard to help her adapt. Zhang noted that Derryfield taught her how to solve problems and to overcome challenges.

Xiaoyue (Zoe) Guo

Upon leaving Derryfield, international alum Xiaoyue (Zoe) Guo ‘17 left the small town environment of Derryfield for a big-city life at New York University. Guo was an active member of the debate club and worked to take advantage of living in NYC. She recalled striking up conversations with people in Washington Square Park, idly strolling the city, and exploring new restaurants and bars. Guo has just graduated from NYU with a BA in philosophy and a minor in history. She is now working on law school applications and hopes to begin her studies in the fall of 2021. In the meantime, she will continue interning at Beijing Tiantai Law Firm. Guo is interested in environmental preservation and has plans to go into environmental and international law. She has worked as an intern at the China Ministry of Environmental Protection in the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, the World Wildlife Foundation, and SynTao Green Finance. Guo has fond memories of Derryfield, particularly of her global trip to Nepal and Mr. Berk’s history class.

Elizabeth Ludwig

Jewelry designer Elizabeth Ludwig graduated from Derryfield in 2015. She attended the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA and earned her Bachelor’s of fine arts in jewelry. Ludwig has worked as a sales associate, creative assistant, and jewelry designer at a variety of companies and boutiques such as Deconic and Macy’s. Most recently, she has been designing jewelry for INC International Concepts for retail sale in Macy’s stores. Ludwig also has her own line of jewelry available for sale on her website. She remembers long hours in the art rooms during her time at Derryfield. Ludwig is especially grateful for and appreciative of Mr. Andy Moerlein, her art teacher, for his encouragement of the pursuit of her craft. After completing a pre-college program at Savannah College of Art and Design, Ludwig knew she wanted to pursue a creative career path. She is grateful for the kindness and advice of DS teachers and advisors like Mr. Bruce Berk, Señora Judy Reynolds, and Ms. Jen Melkonian. She also fondly remembers her days as manager of the baseball team with Coach Jeff Hastings.

Mackenzie Logan

MacKenzie Logan graduated from Derryfield in 2011 with a dream of one day starting her own business. She furthered her education at the University of New Hampshire and left there with a degree in Business and Economics. For the past few years, her career has been mainly focused on marketing. During the pandemic, she was working from home as a marketing coordinator, and although she enjoyed what she was doing, she felt like she wanted to be doing something more. While working full time from home, she organized a book drive for community organizations on the seacoast. The drive brought in 5,000 books that Logan then donated back to her community. She also started an Etsy account for her handcrafted seashell ornaments and sold over 1,000 of them. Yet the dream of starting her own bricks and mortar business still remained in the back of her mind. So when Logan stumbled upon a building for rent and realized it would be a perfect place for a coffee shop, she was able to make her dream a reality. She renovated a beachfront storefront in Hampton, NH and called it Flamingos Coffee Bar. From the fun wallpaper to the vivacious furniture to the heavenly drinks and food, this place has it all.

“Derryfield instilled in me a really hard work ethic and prepared me for working through things. Once you start something, you finish it! That is the Derryfield way!”

Charlotte Leyden

Charlotte Leyden graduated from Derryfield in 2016 and set her sights on the west. She went on to graduate from Montana State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics. During her time in Montana, she worked at many different ranches, finished her schooling early and met her boyfriend. After she graduated she and her boyfriend moved to Colorado. Last fall was full of amazing experiences for Leyden. She rode her horse 100 miles down the Colorado Trail alongside a group of other women riders. They camped overnight under the stars and rode 25 miles during the day. She then was presented with an opportunity to work for Centennial Livestock Auction Company as a ranch hand. Leyden currently runs livestock and also works in the sale barn where livestock are auctioned on a daily basis to about 400 people. She really enjoys the fast pace and welcoming atmosphere. During her time at Derryfield Leyden became passionate about the Spanish language, fueled by her much admired teacher Judy Reynolds. Leyden is finding her facility with Spanish to be extremely important in her job, as the majority of the customers speak Spanish fluently. Leyden loves what she does and adores that her job is based in the outdoors. She is very grateful to Steven Mathes, her former Derryfield teacher, who encouraged her to pursue her dreams.

“Derryfield pushed me to be my own person and helped me in finding out who I am. Derryfield admired my authenticity which led me to pursue a career in which others admire it as well.” – Charlotte Leyden ‘16

Luke Chapdelaine

Luke Chapdelaine graduated from Derryfield in 2016 and pursued his interest in science. He went on to attend the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, earning his masters’ degree a few months later. His masters thesis paper topic was on the change of blood flow through an artery when the artery is clogged. He used simulations as well as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to measure the blood’s movement. Chapdelaine is working toward getting his thesis paper published publicly, but for now it is currently published at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s library. Earlier this year, he started to work as a mechanical engineer for the Waters Corporation. Waters Corporation is a lab and experimentation company and many biotech and pharmaceutical companies use Waters Corporation’s products and studies. Chapdelaine’s focus is higher performance liquid chromatography, a technique in analytical chemistry that breaks down liquids and deciphers what elements the liquid contains. Waters Corporation had a part in helping both Pfizer and Moderna with the recent COVID-19 vaccine. Chapdelaine is very excited for this new chapter of his life and can’t wait to see what the world of science holds for him.

“Derryfield was where I learned to challenge myself. It bestowed in me a motivation to never give up and to commit. Derryfield really set the groundwork for me to be able to push through any difficulty that comes my way.” – Luke Chapdelaine ‘16.

Phil Tatro

Upon graduating from Derryfield in 2016, Phil Tatro was looking forward to a college experience that would show him what he didn’t know he was missing. Phil found this enlightenment of sorts at Pace University in New York City, where he studied arts and entertainment management. Tatro remembers the transition from small town New Hampshire to the Big Apple as transformational. As the bustle of NYC opened the world for Phil, he found himself doing an internship in a non-partisan government think tank. Recalling a love for history while at DS with Mr. Berk, Tatro decided to continue his deep dive into government and public affairs. Currently, he is interning at the United Nations doing work in publications and public information. Some of his current projects include a sustainable development book club for students in countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Japan; marketing for the UN; and sustainable practices within the publishing industry. He will attend Indiana University in the fall of 2021 to pursue a masters in Public Affairs.

“Derryfield curriculum allowed me the space to try small portions of everything because of how caring and engaged the whole community was. Those later manifested into things that were much more significant in my life” – Phil Tatro ‘16

Sean Pallatroni

Sean Pallatroni is an EMMY® Award Winning composer, music teacher, accompanist, and performer in Manhattan, New York. He graduated from Derryfield in 2006 after four years of involvement in the arts and went onto the Hartt School at the University of Hartford to earn his BA in music composition. Pallatroni then went to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for his MFA in musical theatre writing. After graduating from Tisch, he became a composer for Connecticut Public Broadcasting and a music theory teacher at the college and high school level. Pallatroni has continued his work in composition for commercial, classical, theatrical, and marketing purposes. He has had shows at the New York Musical Fest and has directed over 30 shows throughout New York and New England. Now, in addition to his work in composing, Pallatroni works as an accompanist for RIOULT Dance NY and Pace University. Pictured is Pallatroni working as an accompanist for a ballet class in Central Park. While at Derryfield, he found his roots in music. He remembers the overwhelming joy he felt as a freshman while watching Derryfield’s production of Children of Eden. After that performance, Palltroni became a member of the pit band, jazz band, choir and select choir as well as an integral part of the behind the scenes of Derryfield’s theatrical productions. He remembers his mentor and freshman advisor and choral director, Laurel Devino, as the catalyst for his career, confidence, and success. Ms. Devino advocated for and encouraged Pallatroni in the arts and music and pushed him to try new areas of the medium.

“The nice thing about DS was that they were incredibly flexible and had the most wonderful faculty that kept pushing us to do more. Even when it pushed us out of our comfort zone, they wanted us to do more, and that really made me grow” – Sean Pallatroni ‘06