We asked some of the brightest folks from within the community to reflect back on their days in school and to share with us a story of when they learned a particularly important or impactful lesson. We’ve shared highlights below.

Feng Ye

In college, I learned the invaluable lesson of the importance of teamwork, communication, and managing diverse personalities. This understanding developed through various group projects, where initially I underestimated the complexities of effective collaboration. Read more>>

Max Sheffield

My business has quite a non-linear journey. I started a different business in 2017 and pivoted to content marketing in 2018. I was a nurse for almost a decade, and I took a hiatus from my business in late 2019 after becoming pregnant. I went back to being a nurse but started on finishing my degree, this time in marketing. Read more>>

Sean VanderVliet

I think back to this all the time in relationship to Fenway. In High School in rural New Hampshire, we ran out of ceramic classes after Sophomore year. I was still so eager to be in the studio that I worked with the ceramics teacher, Ms. Clary, and my parents to come up with an independent study. Read more>>

Alison Nissen

I was an English major with a secret. I struggled to read. As an undiagnosed dyslexic, I read slowly, had difficulty spelling, and understood grammar through osmosis. I convinced myself that I could never be a writer. During my final semester in college, I received a less-than-stellar grade on an essay due to mechanical errors. Read more>>

Paul Jan Zdunek

In graduate school, I majored in Orchestral Conducting. Every week we had to stand in front of our peers and be the Maestro – the teacher – even though we were there to learn ourselves. To be able to lead those who are just as talented, if not more so, than you, was a lesson in humility – one that I still use today. Read more>>

Urmi Hossain

When we think about the education system, we think of studying and taking tests. Exams are taken to pass a course and progress to the next class. During high school, every week I took numerous tests for the various subjects I was studying. There were times when I found myself having 2-3 tests per week, whether written or oral. Read more>>

Ashley Stafford

The most valuable lesson I have learned is that perceived failures often guide us to our true destination. After completing my undergraduate degree in Psychology, I applied to 12 separate PhD programs, believing that this was the only path to achieve my goal of owning a therapy practice. Read more>>