Fueling Change Through Innovation
Whitney Menarcheck ’06 returns to Shady Side to teach an Immersive — and deepens her connection.
When Whitney Menarcheck ’06 stepped back onto Shady Side’s campus as a co-teacher in one of the Senior School’s inaugural Immersives, it wasn’t just a return. It was a rediscovery.
“The buildings may have changed, but the spirit of the place is exactly the same,” she reflects. “I found myself right back at home.” For Menarcheck, that sense of homecoming was more than nostalgia. It was a moment of reconnection — to a place that helped shape her, to a mission she continues to live out, and to a new generation of students hungry to explore their own voices and ideas.
By co-teaching Introduction to Entrepreneurship alongside Senior School Mathematics Teacher Sue Whitney P’18,’21, Menarcheck stepped into a learning environment charged with energy. Over the course of three weeks, she and Whitney guided students through an experience grounded not in business plans, but in self-discovery. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why”, the course challenged students to identify problems they were passionate about solving — issues they could meaningfully impact by applying their personal strengths. From the outset, Menarcheck’s focus wasn’t just on teaching entrepreneurship. It was about building confidence and helping students realize they already had the tools to make an impact.
This approach reflects Menarcheck’s own professional journey, which has always centered on access. Originally trained as a licensed counselor, she spent more than a decade working in behavioral health and public systems, eventually launching her own tech startup to address gaps in addiction recovery support. Recently, she pivoted to a new role as a community leader at Lovable, a Swedish startup committed to democratizing software development. “What drew me to Lovable is the same thing that’s guided me all along,” she explains. “A deep belief in creating opportunities and designing systems that include people who are often left out. I’ve always been focused on removing barriers and building possibility — and for me, that’s what entrepreneurship is at its core: the chance to imagine something better and then make it real.”
Inside the classroom, those values came to life. Menarcheck was consistently inspired by her students’ openness and drive. “These students are incredible,” she says. “Whether in the studio, on the field, at a debate, or in a show — they’re doing so many impressive things, and that’s all outside the classroom. What struck me most was their level of engagement.” With curiosity and courage, students tackled unfamiliar concepts and pitched original ideas to a panel of alumni entrepreneurs. Menarcheck was particularly moved by how they showed up for one another:
Watching students put themselves out there — and then seeing their peers respond with encouragement and genuine support — was powerful. That kind of culture is rare. And it’s exactly the kind of community that defines Shady Side.
Because it was the first time the course had been offered — and the first time Menarcheck and Whitney had taught together — there was no pre-set script. That improvisational energy became a strength. The co-teachers approached the experience as a living process, designed and refined in real time with student input. “We didn’t pretend to have all the answers,” Menarcheck says. “Instead, we invited students to help shape the flow, offer feedback, and co-create something new. In a very real sense, they were the entrepreneurs of the course itself.” That iterative, collaborative spirit mirrored the kind of startup innovation Menarcheck now champions at Lovable, and the experience affirmed for her just how powerful education can be when students are invited to take ownership.
For Menarcheck, returning to Shady Side not just as an alumna, but as a mentor and educator, carried deep emotional weight. “It was one of the greatest honors of my life,” she says. “I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: SSA changed my life. And like so many of my fellow alumni, it was the teachers who made that possible. They saw something in me before I saw it in myself.” Her goal for the Immersive was rooted in that memory — not to deliver a life-changing curriculum, but simply to be a steady presence for students, someone who could help them feel seen and encouraged in the ways she once was. “If even one student left the course feeling like someone believed in them,” she says, “then it was worth it.”
That spirit of connection extended beyond the classroom. One of the most meaningful aspects of the course for Menarcheck was bringing Shady Side alumni into the fold. Whether welcoming them as guest speakers, visiting them off-campus, or inviting them to serve as panelists for final student pitches, she saw firsthand how those interactions elevated the learning. “It was powerful for students to see the many different paths Shady Side alumni have taken — and for alumni to see how thoughtful, curious, and capable today’s students are,” she says. “Even more powerful was watching students recognize the value of those relationships. They saw how community can open doors, spark ideas, and help you grow. That’s the kind of intergenerational connection that makes SSA so special.”
In the end, Menarcheck hopes her students took away more than the mechanics of launching a venture. She hopes they walked away with a deeper understanding of who they are and what they’re capable of. “We asked them to connect who they are with what they care about, and why they take the actions they do,” she says. “That connection can change everything. It gives students permission to see themselves as capable — not someday, but right now.” And for those students walking through the gates of Shady Side today, just as she once did, her advice is simple: be open. Explore the unfamiliar. Embrace the unexpected. “That’s often where you’ll find your greatest strengths,” she says. “You already have what it takes — you just have to be brave enough to find it.”
Building futures by thinking ahead
With a career in cutting-edge AI, Eben Adams ’89 P’26,’29 brings the future into focus for students in his Immersive course.