"Life After Latin" is a longstanding annual program organized by the Alumni Office and Upper School. Each year, approximately 30 alumni return to our school to speak about their lives after Latin. Speakers are selected based on their industry and the interests of current students.

This year, all freshmen attended a session with Crystal Marshall ’01, a leadership development professional and resume-building expert. In this session, they learned how to build relationships, the importance of a first impression, resume building, and other soft skills.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors were invited to select a session featuring one of the 32 alumni speakers. The sessions to choose from were divided into a menu of career areas, including: consulting, entrepreneurship, business, environmental and sustainability, finance, food and hospitality, healthcare, administration, law and legal, marketing, music and music engineering, non-profit management, real estate, and technology and data.

These alumni spoke about their journeys post-Latin, including their successes and setbacks, and provided advice for those interested in a similar field. Life After Latin exposes students to industries and careers they may not have previously considered. The program also encourages alumni to share the challenges of life after high school, painting a realistic yet inspiring picture of the path ahead.

Sofia Munive ‘27, speaking on her experience in Ryan Jacobson ‘92’s session, noted that she had never considered entertainment law. After the session, she felt she had a new outlook on what was available in the legal field. She also appreciated Jacobson's honesty about there being opportunities available even if you are not a perfect student.

Thank you to the following 2026 Life After Latin alumni speakers for such an inspiring event:

●      Sophia Artola ’18, PwC Senior Associate, Human Capital Management Consulting

●      Atman Satpathy ’18, Incoming Associate, McKinsey and Co.

●      Wendy Onofre-Shah ’09, Owner, LVL UP COFFEE

●      Nicole Rothman Miller ’08, Psychotherapist, Perspective Clinical Therapy, LLC

●      Lauren Frisch ’08, Carbon Markets Program Manager, Netflix

●      Connor Kaniewski ’17, Associate of Investment Grade Private, Wellington Management

●      Tom Ramsey ’83, CFO, LibertyID

●      Maya Seymore ’18, Senior Associate of Marketing Strategy, JPMorgan Chase

●      Danielle Drabkin ’95, CEO & Founder of Pear Chef

●      Amarit Dulyapaibul ’04, Managing Partner, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

●      Mari Katsumura ’04, Executive Chef, Shō Omakase

●      Doug Sohn ’80, President, Hot Doug’s

●      Hunter Case ’10, Senior Manager, West Monroe Partners

●      Sharon Markman ’82, Healthcare Administrator, UChicago

●      Hayley Silver ’06, Head of Urology, Swedish Hospital

●      Drew Beres ’01, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Croke Dairchild Duarte & Beres LLC

●      Daniel Egel-Weiss ’11, Counsel, Policy, Integrity, & Compliance, Major League Baseball

●      Leslie Fineberg ’84, Partner, Grund & Leavitt LLP

●      Garson Fischer ’94, Deputy Chief of Criminal Appeals, Illinois Attorney General's Office

●      Ryan Jacobson ’92, Shareholder & Executive Committee, Amundsen Davis LLC

●      Adam Weber ’91, Associate Dean of International Programs, Chicago Kent College of Law

●      Malcolm Bonner ’08, Principal Analytical Lead, Google

●      Charlotte Cronister ’19, Account Executive, Leo Burnett

●      Beth Goldberg Heller ’93, CEO, Beth Heller Marketing

●      Abbas Jaffer ’04, Sr. Staff Design Researcher, Global Design, Visa

●      Manae Solara Vaughn ’16, Mastering Engineer, Chicago Mastering Services

●      Noah Cruickshank ’06, VP of Marketing, Communications, & Guest Services, Chicago Children’s Museum

●      Dena Hirschberg ’76, President/CEO, HHPLift

●      Amanda Letchinger Olker ’09, Real Estate Managing Broker, RL Accelerated Inc.

●      Catherine Cronister ’16, Clinical Data Scientist, Community Health System

●      Zach Li ’16, Software Engineer, Autonomous Vehicles at NVIDIA

●      Mark Yoon ’01, Staff Software Developer, Shopify

●      Crystal Marshall ’01, Founder & CEO, Crystal Marshall Certified

Latin’s MLK Day of Commemoration 2026 united our school under the theme “Aspire Together: Changemakers in Action.” It was an engaging and rewarding day of programming focused on experiential learning, civic engagement and the power of connection.

The day opened with inspiring remarks from Ryan Allen ‘95, Assistant Head of School, who invited students to get to know each other more and celebrate who we are as a community. He urged everyone to “take advantage of this journey we have today.”

This was followed by a musical performance featuring soloists Ernesto Cruz, Upper School History Teacher and Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) Equity and Justice Committee member, and student Stella Tate R. This transfixed the audience and set the tone for Mr. Cruz’s remarks that followed. He shared his personal narrative, including the moment he realized that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not just a part of history, but part of our present: when Rosa Parks and Mamie Till visited his Chicagoland school. He ended with the powerful words “love fiercely… care for each other… care for those you will never meet.”

In the Lower School, older students taught their younger peers about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during an Opening Assembly, setting the tone for a day filled with love and inspiration. Activities focused on storytelling, showing care for friends and our neighbors, and coming together for buddy activities. Through writing notes to peers, participating in social impact projects, and creating care packages for our community partners, LS students reflected on how just one person can make a difference in the world through individual acts of kindness.

Later, we were fortunate to have American composer Damien Geter deliver the keynote address. He shared how art can be applied as a force for change and how he views Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as an artist; “his medium was humanity itself” with his “ability to mold language like an artist molds clay.” A highlight of the presentation were excerpts from his works, including “An African American Requiem” and “The Justice Symphony,” which generated thoughtful questions from the audience and an engaging discussion.

Middle School students participated in a wide array of interactive workshops. These included partnering with Knit Knot Knoop, a nonprofit founded by a Latin student, to crochet items for people experiencing homelessness; creating protest posters for social causes that resonate with them; and engaging in music and movement with the Puerto Rican Alliance as a force for change. It was a rich and diverse program of experiences that fostered meaningful reflection, conversation, and action.

Upper School students spent the afternoon participating in thoughtful discussion, working on inspiring projects and providing direct service. Discussion topics included: “Exploring Health Inequity in Chicago,” “The Politics of Maps,” and “Aspire to Change: Voices of Justice Across Cultures.” Among the interactive projects were: “The Art and Heart of Challah Making,” “Repoussé Frames of Identity,” “Creativity, Community and the Roots of Hip Hop.” In terms of direct service, students volunteered at Greater Chicago Food Depository.

At Latin, students are encouraged to be changemakers, bringing to bear all those qualities that make up the Portrait of a Latin Learner: curious explorer, inclusive collaborator, critical thinker, and creative communicator. This year’s MLK Day of Commemoration involved all these elements and we are proud of the way in which our community members embraced this opportunity.

Explore the Portrait of a Latin Learner
Learn more about Damien Geter

The National Weather Service is forecasting dangerously frigid weather for the next few days with wind chill temperatures expected to reach 30 to 35 degrees below zero. In these situations, our top priority is to preserve and protect the health and safety of our Latin students, employees, and families. With this in mind, we are canceling classes and other events scheduled for tomorrow and this weekend. Note: All buildings on campus will be closed.

Below are updates on the status of several specific events and activities scheduled for this weekend.

• US Winter Ball on January 24 - this event has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 31, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the Field Gym
• Athletics Open House on January 24 - the Open House has been canceled; the Enrollment Management team is exploring rescheduling this event for rising ninth grade and prospective Upper School families
• Games and practices - all games and practices scheduled for this weekend have been canceled; the Athletics Department will share rescheduling information
• Parent Association community service event on January 25 - this event has been canceled and will be rescheduled for another date
• Rehearsal for the Middle School Play - canceled for this weekend
• High Jump programming - canceled for this weekend

According to the National Weather Service Wind Chill Chart, frostbite can occur in approximately 10 minutes if temperatures reach the predicted levels. With this in mind, we strongly encourage everyone to avoid spending extended time outside if possible, and to dress appropriately, if you need to go outdoors.

Barring any additional inclement weather, we anticipate classes will be back in session on Monday, January 26. However, we encourage you to continue monitoring email, our website and social media for updates about the weather and its impact on our operations.