Shady Side Academy alumna and United States Naval Academy midshipman Gab Harchelroad '15 returned to SSA while home on Thanksgiving Break to speak to students at Senior School and Middle School assemblies on Nov. 19-20, 2018.

A senior or "firstie" at the USNA and a four-year member of Navy's NCAA Division I women's lacrosse team, Harchelroad spoke about her leadership philosophy at the USNA and how it has its roots at Shady Side.

"It was only after I really sat down to think about my time at Shady Side Academy, that I realized just how much my experiences here shaped my life and my leadership philosophy," said Harchelroad. "This fall, my command philosophy has been a set of four tenets – chase greatness, empower others, control the controllables, and be a teammate – all things whose foundation is deeply rooted in my time at Shady Side Academy and that has continued to form through my time as a women's lacrosse player at Navy as well as a Battalion Commander."

Watch a video of her speech at the Middle School below: