Upcoming and Recent Events
- Friends Seminary
- May 5
- 2 min read
Past Events
Alumni Career Panelists

From left to right: back row: Amanda Melnick Blitstein '93, Myles Davis '11, Vittorio Bisin '11, Nico Lang '24, Ross Mechanic '13, Golriz Amid ’02, Patrick Smith '12, Sam Cammer '08, Stefanos Tai '13, Ivano Pulito '04, Marc Rachman '82 and Norm Feit ’74
Front Row: Doria Santlofer '01, Brynn Wallner '08, Juliet Kaye '06, Cristian Lopez-Balboa '09, Eric Brest '09, Oliver Freundlich '91, Julie Fenster '75, Abigail Panitz '15, Jonah Mandell '05
On April 18, Friends Seminary’s Advancement Department and the Upper School collaborated to welcome alumni panelists for this Alumni Career Symposium. In a change from previous years, where only Grade 12 students participated, this year’s event included all upper school students, who learned about the career journeys of seven featured alumni panelists during the Upper School assembly period.
Following the morning session, a luncheon was held for alumni. Programming concluded with a breakout session for Grade12 students based on their career field interest. We extend our sincere gratitude to the 22 alumni who generously volunteered their time and expertise for our students. We strongly encourage more alumni to consider making a valuable impact by participating in next year’s event.
We’re All Grown Ups Now
On April 17, alumni, parents of alumni, current and former faculty attended this year’s We’re All Grown Ups Now event. This Alumni Council event, now in its sixth year, provides alumni with the opportunity to ask a beloved former faculty member questions from an adult perspective. Alumni Council member, Marc Mechanic '08, interviewed Faculty Emerita, Linda Chu, who spoke in detail about her 51 years at Friends Seminary. Linda shared that her journey began in California, her home state, and took her to Africa where she taught English in the Peace Corps before she and her husband Stan decided to settle permanently in NYC. Linda shared memories of being one of the few, and at times only, person of color on the faculty and being a founding member of the teacher’s union (FSTA) at Friends. Linda also talked about her love of animals and how she incorporated them into her teaching. Linda’s beloved turtle, Molasses, is now in his 60s and currently enjoys Greek Yogurt! This hybrid event allowed those who could not attend in person to join the conversation with Linda via Zoom. It was deeply touching to witness the reactions of Linda’s former students as she recounted special stories from their childhood and fondly remembered deceased parents; Linda Baer '85’s face lit up as Linda shared a story about her father, the late Judge Harold Baer, Jr.
Upcoming Events
Reunion | Friday through Saturday, May 16-17, 2025
Contact mmudho@friendsseminary.org for more information.