For many Menlo alumni, the last time they stepped on Menlo’s campus was at their own graduation. These Menlo graduates were finally able to follow their passions, going around the country in a variety of fields. But for some, that passion would be returning to where it all started, but in a different role: a teacher.
This was the case for dance teacher and Senior Class Dean Angela Curotto-Pierson ‘07. An interaction with Upper School Director John Schafer and former Dean of Students Tony Lopolla when Curotto-Pierson came back in 2017 was an early shock of not being a student, but a peer to her former teachers. “They both were like, ‘Angela, you can now call us John and Tony.’ And I remember [in] that moment I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy.’”
Mechanical engineering teacher Leo Jaimez ‘14 was pulled back to Menlo by the fantastic learning experience as a student in the Whitaker Lab. “I had such a positive experience with taking Dr. Dann’s ASR class and Mark Allard’s robotics course back when I was in high school,” Jaimez said. “I think it’s a great place for students to learn in a different way and I was super excited at the opportunity of working down here.”
After graduating from Menlo, associate math teacher Richard Harris ‘12 played basketball at Claremont McKenna College and then spent multiple years in investment banking and management consulting. Similar to Jaimez, he said that returning to Menlo was the next meaningful transition for him in his career. “It’s a leap of faith. And what better place to begin this new chapter of my life than the place that inspired my own love of education,” Harris said.
Volleyball assistant coach Riley Holland ‘19 thinks that some things have definitely changed compared to when she was a student here. “I feel like [students] don’t have as much freedom as we had, just hearing about experiences on and off campus. But maybe that comes from COVID,” Holland said.
Harris agreed that Menlo is ever-changing. “There are a lot more programs and systems in place, whether it’s [the] Learning Center, reviews for faculty or Catalyst, that have structures in place to help students get the most out of their learning and faculty be the best teachers that they can be,” Harris said.
Yet even as years pass, some things will just never change here at Menlo, according to Curotto-Pierson. “This rivalry with Sacred Heart. Valpo started when I was a freshman, and it’s definitely grown,” Currotto-Pierson said. For her, Menlo’s school spirit is an unchangeable aspect of the school’s culture.
Jaimez agreed that many traditions are still standing. “The senior quad is still the same. They’re not allowed there unless you’re a senior, so that’s kind of funny to see,” he said.
Holland said she tries to incorporate her experience as a student at Menlo into how she operates as a coach. “I love joking around and laughing with my [students], because I want them to have a good experience. However, also teaching them life lessons on and off the court,” Holland said. “And I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t go here,” Holland added.
Perhaps that’s why graduates keep on finding their way back to Menlo. “You’re gonna get what you want out of Menlo by what you put in,” Curotto-Pierson said.
