The annual Young Alumni Skeptics stands out as one of the most anticipated Skeptics of the year, where current students get to ask recent Blair graduates any number of curious questions. Not only do current students enjoy the event, however, the newly-turned Blair alumni look forward to returning to their old stomping grounds, reconnecting with faculty and staff, and reminiscing about their days on the hilltop.

On Tuesday, April 9, Blair is excited to welcome back three young alumni, including senior manager of GTM operations at Dell Technologies Maggie Hoffman ’11, co-managing partner and head of acquisitions at Arden Group International Jeremy Conway ’13, and registered nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Paige Cordero ’14. 

Paige Cordero ’14
During her four years at Blair, Paige Cordero was a leading force on the girls’ field hockey, cross country and rowing teams. She was a beloved senior prefect in Locke Hall and was heavily involved in the admission office’s tour guide program. Inside the classroom, the accomplished classmate was known for her benevolent heart and keen observations. One of her many fond Blair memories includes attending impactful Skeptics events.

“Skeptics speakers who resonated with me were those who spoke about philanthropy, activism, volunteer and missionary efforts, and social justice,” she mentioned in a pre-event interview. “I enjoyed speakers like Jack Bogle, Ishmael Beah (author of A Long Way Gone), Hudson Taylor, who is the founder of Athlete Ally, a national geographic photographer, a slam poet who is now a Poet Laureate, Anis Mojgani, and more.”

As she prepares to return and speak at Skeptics herself, the young alum expresses her profound gratitude. “I’m thankful to be invited back. It’s meaningful to me because I can relate to the students who are here to learn about possible careers.”
She hopes today’s students glean this takeaway from the Skeptics event: “As students at Blair, you already have a deep understanding of yourself, your interests and what you’re good at. While there’s always more to learn, don’t ignore what you know. It will lead you in the right direction and will lead you to your career.”

After graduating from Blair, Ms. Cordero went on to pursue nursing at Boston College, successfully completing her studies  in 2018. “I’ve known since I was at Blair that I was going to work in health care. But, I knew that the options were endless and real discernment would happen from shadowing other professionals and seeing other areas of work. Blair helped me develop a work ethic that allowed me to pursue continuing education in my field and renewed the importance of continuing to learn—no matter what field you’re in.”

Jeremy Conway ’13
A graduate of New York University, Jeremy Conway left the hilltop to major in real estate development and has recently joined Arden Group International LLC (“Arden”), a multinational real estate development company headquartered in the bustling heart of New York City, as their head of acquisition. At Skeptics, Mr. Conway plans to speak about his time as a student in addition to the ways in which he found his passion in real estate development.

Maggie Hoffman ’11
A graduate of Union College, Maggie Hoffman majored in anthropology and minored in economics before starting her career as an onboarding case manager at Dell Technologies. Quickly gaining confidence within the program management space, Ms. Hoffman received four advancement opportunities throughout her time at Dell and currently sits as senior manager of GTM operations. At Skeptics, Ms. Hoffman plans to speak about her time as a student in addition to the lessons she learned while navigating her career path in program and project management, a highly sought field in the current job market.

All are invited to hear the alumni speak in the forum of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

History of Skeptics
 
The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.