I came to Putney as a sophomore and grew to love the barns: both the small animal and the art barn. I took Putney’s progressive ideal of learning not for badges, merits, and honors, but for the joy of learning to heart. It was at Putney where I felt comfortable with my ignorance. Putney’s pedagogy encouraged me to be cognizant of my knowledge and contradictions and actively work to liberate myself — to free my mind to imagine a world according to me; a world representative of my identities.
For me, Putney was a liberating place. However, I understand that many aspects of my background and experience that made Putney liberating, also made it suffocating for many of my peers. I also recognize that for many students — especially the few that look like me — this is still the case today.
As a young alum, I consider myself an unconventional pick for a board position: I’m 26 and in the early grinds of a PhD. What do I know? This inherent humility is one of the things that makes me a great colleague in responding to the challenges faced by the board. I welcome the opportunity to share with the board and the wider Putney School community my understanding and experience of Putney’s past and present and my visions for its future.