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Featured Alumni Q&A: Eric Hallett '11
Eric Hallett, 2011
Lives in Los Angeles
Stanford University - Product Design/Mechanical Engineering
Lives in Los Angeles
Stanford University - Product Design/Mechanical Engineering
What is your proudest accomplishment since graduating from Sage Hill School?
I began writing music simply to decompress once I graduated from college and joined the "real world," and one day I discovered I'd written about 15 songs I'd come to love so much that I now view them as part of my identity. I haven't shared them with many people, but i intend to record an album sometime in the coming year.
What about your experience at Sage Hill prepared you for what you are doing now?
I answered this question many times as I was interviewing for teaching jobs at independent schools, and the answer remains the same: The teachers and coaches at Sage Hill encouraged and enabled me to step outside of my comfort zone and challenged me to reconsider who I thought I would be when I entered high school. In large part due to the lessons I learned at Sage Hill, I felt comfortable making a life-altering career change and am loving my decision to pursue teaching.
I began writing music simply to decompress once I graduated from college and joined the "real world," and one day I discovered I'd written about 15 songs I'd come to love so much that I now view them as part of my identity. I haven't shared them with many people, but i intend to record an album sometime in the coming year.
What about your experience at Sage Hill prepared you for what you are doing now?
I answered this question many times as I was interviewing for teaching jobs at independent schools, and the answer remains the same: The teachers and coaches at Sage Hill encouraged and enabled me to step outside of my comfort zone and challenged me to reconsider who I thought I would be when I entered high school. In large part due to the lessons I learned at Sage Hill, I felt comfortable making a life-altering career change and am loving my decision to pursue teaching.
What about your Sage Hill experience impacted the person you are today? This could be a favorite class, a person, a club, etc...
I didn't realize it at the time (or maybe did subconsciously), but seeing Chris Irwin lead our advisory and teach our biology class (sorry Irwin - I still don't understand Punnett squares) showed me that it's possible to do everything you love and call it a job. I've followed his lead; I get to teach math, coach water polo, be involved in the music program at the school where I teach, and remain gainfully employed for as long as my school will allow. I owe Irwin and the other Sage Hill teachers I had an enormous debt of gratitude for unintentionally making every day a "career day" for me.
If you could share one piece of advice to current Sage Hill students, what would it be?
Spend every second you can on campus, whether it's at sporting events, musical performances, or just hanging out with friends. Sage Hill is an unbelievably great facility with an even better atmosphere for cultivating intellectual curiosity and camaraderie, and every moment you spend there will pay dividends when you leave in terms of the memories and friendships you form. Also, dress like Irwin several days in a row and see if he notices.
I didn't realize it at the time (or maybe did subconsciously), but seeing Chris Irwin lead our advisory and teach our biology class (sorry Irwin - I still don't understand Punnett squares) showed me that it's possible to do everything you love and call it a job. I've followed his lead; I get to teach math, coach water polo, be involved in the music program at the school where I teach, and remain gainfully employed for as long as my school will allow. I owe Irwin and the other Sage Hill teachers I had an enormous debt of gratitude for unintentionally making every day a "career day" for me.
If you could share one piece of advice to current Sage Hill students, what would it be?
Spend every second you can on campus, whether it's at sporting events, musical performances, or just hanging out with friends. Sage Hill is an unbelievably great facility with an even better atmosphere for cultivating intellectual curiosity and camaraderie, and every moment you spend there will pay dividends when you leave in terms of the memories and friendships you form. Also, dress like Irwin several days in a row and see if he notices.
What’s your favorite Sage-y memory?
Easy - seeing a crowd of 50-70 students and teachers come out to CDM late on a November weeknight to see our water polo team win the program's first CIF playoff game in school history gave me the chills at the time and still does as I think about it now.
Sage Hill School
Sage Hill School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and athletic and other School administered programs.