We Build Leaders Ready for What’s Next
In Their Own Words: Young Alumni Describe How They Learned to Lead
Eliza Worrall ’18 stepped onto the field hockey pitch as a freshman at Shady Side Academy with absolutely no experience playing the sport. “I was an athlete growing up, but I’d never played field hockey. I just thought it sounded interesting,” she says. She describes her performance that year as “terrible.” “But it was a quintessential Shady Side teaching moment,” Worrall says. “Everyone at Shady Side wants you to strive and thrive, so I worked really hard. By senior year, I was captain of the field hockey team.”
Worrall’s experience underscores the tenets of the Shady Side experience that drive alumni into positions of leadership. At Shady Side, students are pushed by supportive teachers, coaches, and staff to approach challenges without fear of failure. “You learn to raise your hand, be confident, and not be let down if you’re wrong. Instead, you’re encouraged to use any failure as a moment to learn and ask for help,” Worrall says.
We spoke to five young alumni about the ways their Shady Side experiences prepared them for opportunities and challenges in life beyond the Shady Side quad. While their post-graduate paths vary — business, investment banking, communications, public relations, and the military — they all agree that the academic and social preparations they received at Shady Side laid the foundation for them to embrace leadership roles as adults.
Classrooms That Engage
Shady Side’s classes are a hotbed for engagement and connection. “Because of the smaller class sizes, teachers are invested in every student individually,” says Thompson Lau ’22. That investment doesn’t end when the proverbial bell rings. Lau was a three-sport athlete at Shady Side, competing on the cross country, basketball, and lacrosse teams. During lacrosse season his junior and senior years, Lau would see Senior School Mathematics Teacher Amy Yam P’24 in class and then again at his games. “Ms. Yam ran the scoreboard for lacrosse. Her classes were challenging, and she was so invested in her students, including me. She was one of my favorite teachers,” Lau says.
Porter Markel ’21 credits Senior School English Teacher Paul Ejzak ’89 with teaching him not just about Shakespeare, but how to apply critical thinking, write strong essays, and have fun while doing it. “Mr. Ejzak demanded that you work hard and seek him out for help to get better,” Markel says. “He and all of the teachers at Shady Side love what they do. They love showing up to work, and that’s something that I try to replicate in my job every day.”
With such focused leadership in the classroom, students are easily engaged. “Shady Side students are motivated to work hard. When you’re surrounded by that mentality, you can’t help but catch the bug,” says Whitney McVeagh ’21. Maila Davis ’23 says discussion-based classes are the norm, encouraging critical thinking and boosting students’ confidence in their abilities and analyses. “Even outside of the classroom, community spaces are set up so you can work and study together — collaboration is encouraged,” Davis says.
Leaders with Agency
While teachers provide a daily example of leadership personified, Shady Side alumni say students are encouraged and expected to take up their own leadership torches.
Davis, who came to Shady Side as a sophomore, served as junior class president, president of the student body, and dormitory prefect. “The Shady Side environment lets students feel confident that they can take on leadership positions,” Davis says. While leading the student council, Davis knew her opinions were given weight. “Administrators came to me a lot for advice on the student perspective,” she recalls. “Their belief in me pushed me to grow in my confidence as a leader.” She credits her experiences at Shady Side with encouraging her to pursue a residential advisor position at Syracuse University, where she will enter her senior year in 2026.
Worrall says her work as a student Admissions Ambassador gave her invaluable real-world experience speaking to adults and communicating effectively, talents she now uses daily in her role as a Communications Manager.
Both Markel and Lau credit their sports experiences at Shady Side with providing leadership opportunities that impacted them greatly. Markel spent his senior year as class president, captain of the boys ice hockey team, and captain of the baseball team. “I was incredibly honored to become a captain of both of those teams,” Markel says. “It’s such a valuable lesson to learn how to lead your peers at a time when you’re still young and the stakes are low.” His experiences directly impacted his election to the captaincy of the U.S. Naval Academy’s ice hockey team for the 2024–25 season. “I fell back on all the lessons I learned as a captain four years before,” he says.
Lau held the captain post for cross country, basketball, and lacrosse. He recalls a thrilling trajectory for the basketball team, which lost its playoff game by a huge margin during his sophomore year, then won the WPIAL championship his senior year. “Sophomore year, my classmates and I had to commit to the vision of what we could be by our senior year. Coach Dave Vadnais P’27, ’34 let the captains and seniors lead the way without ever trying to take over,” Lau says.
Lau continued to play lacrosse at Amherst College, receiving the captain title once again during his senior year.
McVeagh says her experience captaining the cross country team alongside her classmates during their senior year taught her how true leadership is collaborative. “We had to operate as a collective, leading together,” she says. “That taught me the importance of allowing all voices to be heard even when you are considered the core leader,” a lesson McVeagh remembered while acting as president of the Women in Business club in college.
Edging Beyond Comfort Zone
“At Shady Side, you’re constantly encouraged to try things that are outside of your comfort zone,” McVeagh says. Whether the sports requirement inspires you to try a new on-field skill, as it did for Worrall in field hockey, or the preponderance of clubs and activities sparks a new interest, alumni agree that Shady Side provides a loving safety net to try, whether you fail or succeed.
Lau, who came to Shady Side in fifth grade, joined the rocketry team in Middle School on a whim. “We went to Nationals and were ranked a top 100 team,” Lau recalls. “It’s amazing that I could join a club just because I thought it might be fun and get to experience that success. Plus, it introduced me to other students I wouldn’t have known well otherwise.” Similarly, joining cross country at the Senior School as a novice created new friendships for Lau. His appreciation for those experiences gave Lau the confidence to remain open-minded when choosing classes in college. “While some other students might choose a class because they think it’s easy, I chose in a way that would help me break out of my lacrosse bubble,” Lau says. “I know that’s because I came from a place like Shady Side, where we were encouraged to join different groups rather than getting boxed into a single identity.”
Davis, who participated in soccer and track, says, “I felt comfortable getting involved with different or new sports because everyone was on the same level regardless of skill. You were encouraged to try things out.”
In the classroom, difficult tasks are treated as opportunities. Both Worrall and Markel recall feeling a bit of shock when they received their first graded essays in Mr. Ejzak’s English classes. “It was clear that it was an opportunity to seek him out and learn,” Markel says. The lessons learned in Ejzak’s classroom were so formative that he was encouraged to pursue English as a major at the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I always knew that I could go to any teacher and ask for help,” Worrall says. Admitting she has more of a “creative brain,” Worrall knew she could get help from Senior School Science Teachers Leah Powers P’26,’28 and Greg Weiss P’34,’37 or teachers in the math department for topics that were challenging to master.
Davis credits Dean of Residential Life and History Teacher Pam Boehm P’26 and Chief Community and Belonging Officer Lillian Gate P’24 with mentoring her to pursue leadership positions and amplify her voice. “The teachers and staff encourage you so much. They want you to try new things. They help you realize you can pursue finding your passion while still getting your homework done,” Davis says.
Prepared for the Future
The skills these alumni built at Shady Side are directly applicable to all facets of their lives now. “Shady Side instilled four core tenets in me that I still hold true to in both my personal and professional life: perseverance, responsibility, independence, and empathy,” Worrall says. When Worrall went to Elon University, she initially studied business but later realized it wasn’t igniting a passion in her. Her experiences at Shady Side taught her not to be afraid to make changes that align with her personal and academic values.
McVeagh, who studied finance at Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business, spent her collegiate years involved in many on-campus organizations, including as secretary for Women in Business and as a peer career advisor, while also mentoring students in math at local schools. “When I transitioned from high school to college, I felt incredibly prepared thanks to Shady Side’s focus on the importance of academics and extracurriculars,” she says. During her junior year, McVeagh was selected for Fairfield Dolan’s inaugural “30 Under 30” class.
In addition to applying for a residential advisor position at Syracuse University, Davis pursues club involvement every year. She will graduate in 2027 with a degree in public relations, thanks in large part to the guidance she received at Shady Side. “Shady Side’s college counselors were instrumental in helping me figure out what I wanted to do and where I could pursue those passions,” Davis says.
Lau led a decorated career as a student-athlete at Amherst College, where he double majored in economics and mathematics and played lacrosse as a two-time Academic All-American. In 2025, Amherst awarded Lau the Samuel Walley Brown Scholarship for ranking highest in the junior class in character, class leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability. Lau built on the leadership skills taught to him at Shady Side as a member of Amherst’s athletic department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. “I consistently focused on making sure we were improving team culture. It was important to me that we weren’t just becoming better lacrosse players, but better people,” Lau shares.
Markel says Shady Side’s expectations and critical support systems are a means to success. “Shady Side did such a great job of forcing you into difficult situations. You have to play a sport, do well with academics, be a good person, and treat others with respect,” he says. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he became a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He’s currently in flight school training. “Shady Side’s focus on the mental, moral, and physical set me up for my job today,” he shares. “Shady Side teaches you how to be a well-rounded person. I’m certainly grateful for that today.”
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