Alumni Profiles

Waldorf School of Baltimore alumni are successfully engaged in a wide variety of careers in the fields of law, science, business, teaching, and the arts. We offer you this opportunity to meet a few of our alumni and hear in their own words how Waldorf has influenced them and where they are in their educational and professional lives. Because Waldorf started its upper school in 2007, these alumni attended only through the 8th grade. In the future, Waldorf alumni will graduate from the upper school.

Sigrid

WSB graduate, 1982
Western High School graduate, 1988
University of Maryland, College Park graduate, 1993
University of Baltimore Law School graduate

Sigrid spent six years in Los Angeles working as a commercial production coordinator before deciding to return to the East Coast and enroll in law school. While she was completing her law degree, she worked for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. She remembers her years at Waldorf as a time filled with stories: fables, tales, history, and plays. "I learned to listen well. This helped me in high school and college lectures. I could listen and follow the theme without taking detailed notes. It was a great experience learning in the Waldorf School."

Mike

WSB graduate, 1987
Calvert Hall Xavier Program graduate, 1991
Guildford College graduate, 1995
Loyola College of Baltimore, Maryland, MBA program,
current student

Mike spent many years in outdoor education as a field instructor and eventually as an outdoor and leadership training program specialist for Indiana University. He has recently returned to Baltimore to gain practical experience in business working as a building administrator for a real estate development firm while earning an MBA. He continues to pursue his outdoor interests by teaching wilderness first aid in New Hampshire and by leading wilderness trips for Loyola College undergraduates. "It's hard to say what aspects of Waldorf influenced me; it's difficult to imagine who I'd be if I hadn't had the foundation of the Waldorf experience."

Adam

WSB graduate, 1993
The Park School graduate, 1997
Connecticut College graduate, 2001

Adam is currently working as a production coordinator for ABC. He also works as a freelance photographer. Samples of his work can be seen on his web site (www.adamlarkey.com). Adam is fluent in German and is interested in culture and travel. Adam says, "The longer I spend in Hollywood, the more I realize that the keys to success are lessons that I learned at Waldorf. Even as early as 1st grade, creativity, independent thinking, humanity, and a genuine respect for your environment were stressed. It is those life lessons that cannot be found in a textbook, that truly set a Waldorf student apart."

Jesse

WSB graduate, 1994
Friends School of Baltimore graduate, 1998
University of Pennsylvania major: diplomatic history

In college, Jesse played for the Penn men's lacrosse team. After graduation, he worked for one year as a paralegal and then left the law firm to join Marsh & McLennan Companies. He is an insurance broker in Philadelphia working with clients from various industries. "I believe that the Waldorf School taught me very early on that it is important to use free and creative thinking in order to succeed."

Jim

WSB graduate, 1994
Baltimore School for the Arts music major (violin), graduate, 1998
Loyola College graduate, 2002

Jim is currently a member of the musical group O'Malley's March (which includes among its players Governor Martin O'Malley). He teaches private music lessons. In addition, his love of old cars has led him to work for BMW Parts Company. "I was exposed to many different subjects at the Waldorf School and was particularly influenced by the studies of history, art, and music. I learned to play the recorder and violin at the Waldorf School and performing and teaching music are a big part of my life's work. Being around open-minded people at a young age at Waldorf has helped me to be accepting and comfortable with people of different beliefs and ethnic backgrounds."

Daniel

WSB graduate, 1995
Boys' Latin graduate, 1999
Rhodes College graduate, 2003
Ph.D. program in chemistry at Johns Hopkins University,
current student

In college, Daniel worked on a research project in chemistry at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In his spare time he enjoys scuba diving; playing the cello, hammer dulcimer, and guitar; and traveling. Daniel says, "Everyone knows that musically inclined people are good at mathematics. It is less widely recognized that creativity and imagination are necessary characteristics of good scientists. These qualities are nourished and encouraged at Waldorf, and I consider them my finest attributes. I am on my way to becoming a chemist, and although my high school and college were more instrumental in directing me to my chosen field, I owe my creativity, imagination, love for learning, and musicality - the foundations upon which my success depends - all to Waldorf."

Brandon

WSB graduate, 1997
Boys' Latin graduate, 2001
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, graduate, 2004

Brandon, an award-winning artist (local winner in the drawing category of the 2001 NAACP-ACT-SO Competition), is also an accomplished athlete who is a member of the University of Maryland's wrestling team. He plans to join the Air Force after college graduation and eventually to work in the graphics design field. "The 'think outside of the box' type of learning atmosphere at Waldorf tended to be the norm. Since playing a musical instrument, being involved in sports, art, crafts, foreign languages, and woodworking were everyday occurrences there, it was natural for me to get involved with lots of different activities and classes in high school and college."

John

WSB graduate, 1998
St. Paul's School graduate, 2002
Vassar College graduate, 2006

John is currently an MA student in Western esotericism at the University of Exeter (UK). He earned a BA in history at Vassar College, where he also studied classical guitar and hosted a show on the Vassar radio station (91.3 FM WVKR). John received several academic awards while attending St. Paul's School and was inducted into the Cum Laude Society and the National French Honor society. John credits the Waldorf curriculum, with its biographical approach to history, exposure to world mythologies, integration of music and visual arts and emphasis on writing with inspiring his interests in many areas. "My ten years at the Waldorf school provided me with a solid academic foundation and, more importantly, helped to cultivate a desire for knowledge that has guided my endeavors both inside and outside of the classroom."

Carole

WSB graduate, 1998
Baltimore School for the Arts - visual arts, graduate, 2002
New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, graduate, 2006

Carole is immersed in film work, finding additional time for photography and for some work as a production assistant on television commercials. She balances this with a love of the outdoors, having studied wilderness skills and spent time whitewater rafting and camping. Her goal is to be a film director. "One of the greatest parts of Waldorf is the connection with a more simple way of life: working with your hands, learning to appreciate the natural world, and moving at a slower pace. Waldorf education has given me a strong connection with the simple, important things in life. Waldorf has given me a solid foundation to fall back on when living in a modern, crazy world gets to be too much. The strong arts curriculum at Waldorf has, of course, helped me in my film work. I think the most important influence that Waldorf has had on me, however, is the focus on developing as an independent, freethinking individual. Whatever I choose to do in my life, I know that the ability to think creatively and independently will be one to the greatest assets I have."

Ariana

WSB graduate, 1998
Carver Center for the Arts and Technology - literary arts, graduate, 2002
Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, graduate, 2007

Ariana was home-schooled for five years using the Waldorf curriculum before enrolling in the school for 6th to 8th grades. Ariana remembers enjoying the welcoming, home-like environment of the classrooms here. An honor roll student and merit scholar in high school, Ariana is a gifted writer, winning many literary awards, including Outstanding Maryland Young Artist, Baltimore Sun Writing Award, and the National Foundation of Arts Merit Award. At the Hawk Circle Camp-Earth Mentoring Institute in Cherry Valley, NY, she was introduced to other Waldorf students from around the world. Her experiences have heightened her interest in ecology, mentoring children, and possibly becoming a teacher. "At Waldorf, I felt that what I was learning was deeper than just learning the subject matter. Waldorf has given me the feeling that I am a self-motivated person."