Shining a Spotlight on the Class of 2015

Julian Stolper ’15 lives in Alexandria, VA. This past year he started his dream job when he became an airline pilot! He currently flies passengers in and out of Washington Dulles Airport. Julian is excited to continue progressing in his career and will be promoted to captain next year. When thinking about his time at VA, he says, “Through academics, athletics, and my amazing mentors at Vermont Academy, I learned that hard work pays off. This taught me that most things you set your mind to are achievable if you work hard enough and have the right support network. Knowing this gave me the confidence I needed to do well in college, early engineering career, and pursue my dream job of flying planes.” In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors by biking, running, or hiking in nearby Shenandoah National Park with his wife Claudia and dog Maisy. Julian says, “VA helped shape my love for the natural environment and appreciation for the outdoors. One of Julian’s favorite memories was medaling in The Head of the Fish rowing regatta. It was “the perfect culmination of the hard work the team put in while training for years to build the crew team's strength and reputation among the northeastern schools.” 

Maria Jones ’15 currently works as the senior communications planner for the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) - one of 13 regional planning agencies in Massachusetts serving the southeast region of the Commonwealth. She is also active in her community in Providence, RI, and volunteers with her district ward and affordable housing organizations. Maria recently celebrated her promotion to her current position and is excited for her partner to graduate from their PhD program in physics at Brown University! Maria believes, “Being exposed to learning independently [at VA] empowered me to think and form opinions on my own. I learned how to think critically about my surroundings. I felt like my teachers took my ideas and inferences seriously - a lesson I carry to this day when I am making serious decisions in my personal and professional life.” Her favorite VA memories included any outdoor excursion on the sports teams she participated in, going hiking or outdoor rock climbing or even exploring New England as manager of the girls’ varsity hockey team. 

Rachel Montesano ’15 lives in Hamden, CT, and has been a bedside nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital since graduating from Quinnipiac University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing five years ago. During this time she also pursued her Master’s in Nursing Education and began teaching future nursing students how to become a nurse! In the next year, she plans to obtain her certification in medical surgical nursing. Rachel was recently fortunate enough to attend her best friend Nevie’s ’15 wedding and watch her marry her high school sweetheart Ben ’15 - “It truly felt like a full circle transformation as we grew up best friends in high school and have watched each other blossom into our fulfilling lives as young adults!” Rachel was able to “have a multitude of opportunities from being a proctor, a head waiter, an avid volunteer for the Kurn Hattin school and many more. Each of these opportunities helped to mold me into the leader, mentor and person I am today.” Rachel came from a figure skating background but became the goalie for the JV hockey team during all four years of her years at VA. One of her favorite memories stems from her time on the team when they beat Kimball Union Academy her senior year, “there was something so special about being in our home rink on Winter Carnival weekend, achieving a dream that seemed unimaginable when I was just a freshman. I was able to learn a whole new sport and challenge myself to be the best I could be which resulted in me winning Most Improved that season!”

George Atkins ’15 moved to New York, NY in 2023 and works at LLR Partners, which is a lower middle market private equity firm. He is a member of LLR's "Value Creation Team" where he focuses on the strategic planning process of LLR's portfolio companies. During his free time, George is part of a men’s league hockey and a softball team and serves on Vermont Academy’s Alumni Council and as an at-large member of the Alumni Association’s Executive Committee. In the next year, George is looking forward to exploring more of NYC, NJ, and Long Island with his girlfriend, Lane, friends, and family as well as a skiing trip out west and/or Canada and/or Europe. When thinking about his time at VA and his favorite memories, he shared that he always loved playing soccer or ultimate frisbee out on the fields outside of Shep after dinner, “We would've finished up athletic practice before dinner, just had a great meal, and then been able to enjoy a Vermont sunset over the trees before needing to go study.” George says VA helped him become the person he is today because VA gave him, “The opportunities to grow into a mature and thoughtful person. It was not only the teaching and coaching I received but also the community around me that enabled me to push my limits and become a better person and friend.”

Alana Lopez ’15 currently works in inpatient psychiatry in Boston, MA at Mass General Brigham - Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital and is working towards her degree in nursing. She plans to obtain her RN license in the next year and continue moving forward in her career. Her favorite Vermont Academy memory is “A good old Saturday night in Shep!” One of the lessons from VA that she has been able to carry with her and bring to the psych units she has worked on is, “How important it is to be part of a community that really cares for you and your well-being. A community that showers praise on your accomplishments and doesn’t ridicule you for your mistakes.” Alana says, “VA is the place where I came out of the closet for the first time. I did it publicly in front of the entire school and if it weren’t for all of the encouragement and love I received, I’m afraid I would still be scared of who I am! I’ll always be so thankful to VA for this specific piece of my identity.”

Jamie Lumley ’15 just started a new job in New York, NY. After spending the last few years in technology and media research, this fall he joined a startup called Carbon Arc. The company does AI and data analytics and Jamie is there to build out a segment focused on expert insights and business intelligence. Jamie is really excited about his new job and after working at large companies, he says, “It's great to be part of a small team and really take ownership of what I do every day.” Outside of work, Jamie is really looking forward to a ski trip to Utah in March - he credits VA with instilling in him an appreciation for living an active lifestyle and of nature. He also says, “Vermont Academy taught me a lot about balance. Between classes, sports, music, and theater, it was easy to be busy but hard to stay on top of things. I learned how to be organized and, more importantly, get things done while still finding time to have some fun.” One of his favorite memories at VA was his senior year when the ski team took a trip to Norway to train and compete. Skiing the trails used by professionals and competing against tough local competition in “one of the most beautiful settings, is something that I will always remember. Shout out to fellow ski alumni John Henry Paluszek '16 and Mackey O'Keefe '17 for a great trip.” 

These young alumni stories show the impact VA has had on its students. Even more important are the adults who also had a lasting impact. 

Julian Stolper is grateful to Christine Armiger, director of place-based learning and environmental studies, and Joe Echanis ’79, science department chair, for helping to develop his interest in science; Matt Dall, former director of learning skills, for building his study skills and confidence in class, and Thom Collins and Alexei Sotskov who helped instill his work ethic in athletics and other aspects of life.

Rachel Montesano recounts how fortunate she was to have so many mentors at Vermont Academy, but without a doubt, she notes that Humanities Teacher Amanda Gilbert-Hodgson was the most influential. Rachel says Amanda’s impact “continues to have an influence on me daily and I always know if I ever needed anything, she would always be there for me no matter what. I love her so much and I am so thankful that she is continuing to inspire future generations of Vermont Academy students.”

Maria Jones also thanks Christine Armiger for, “Forming my real-world opinions without pushing her own agenda.”

Alana Lopez also recognizes Amanda Gilbert-Hodgson, sharing that Amanda has checked in on her over the past 10 years and is someone she can trust and look up to in her adult life.

Jamie Lumley says Visual Arts Department Chair Lisa Eckhardt McNealus ’79 was always there when he needed advice. Lisa was his advisor during all four years at VA and,  “was a key part to making my Vermont Academy experience so foundational to my life.”