In keeping with a Florida Council of Independent Schools mandate that member schools take stock of the success of their alumni during their college years, the Saint Stephen’s Alumni Office distributed a survey last summer to the SSES graduating class of 2017. The survey was designed to ascertain how many members completed their higher education within four years, and to elicit alumni opinion on the effectiveness of our college preparatory curriculum. The bulk of the class was slated to graduate from college in 2021, but no one could foresee when this group headed off in fall 2017 that a pandemic would impact their campus life and upend usual timelines for graduation for many.

The Class of 2017 included 78 graduates and, as of September, 72 had responded to our survey. To date, 42 class members graduated from college in or before 2021. Three alumni graduated in just three years. Thirteen members of the Class of 2017 transferred from their original college destination. This higher-than-usual number of transfers undoubtedly reflects the impact of COVID-19.

All of the graduates distinguished themselves during their college years. Some of the highlights include:

• A Penn State alumnus graduated with a 3.99 GPA and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Enterprise Risk Management at Columbia.
• A former Falcon will attend Harvard Law School next fall after graduating from Columbia with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science.
• A University of Tampa finance graduate now works at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an Anti-Money Laundering Analyst.
• An alumna graduating from Princeton with an A.B. in Public Policy now works in Washington, D.C. as a financial analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
• A grad from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) with a degree in art history and Middle Eastern studies who is pursuing a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia.

Among those who are still pursuing their degrees are a Georgetown student who plays football and studies sociology and theology, a former SSES thespian who is now a junior at New York University majoring in theater after a two-year hiatus, and a mechanical engineering major at USF who is the chief engineer for Bulls Racing Formula SAE Team.

Look for a complete rundown of where the Class of 2017 is now in the fall/winter edition of Saint Stephen’s Magazine, publishing in December.

Congratulations to senior Michael Thomas, who has been named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist for 2021. Thomas is Saint Stephen’s 16th finalist since 2016. About 1.6-million students in some 22,000 high schools enter the National Merit Scholarship competition annually when they take the Preliminary SAT, measuring critical reading ability, mathematics problem solving, and writing ability. Semifinalists are selected on a state-by-state basis and represent the top 0.5 percent of the state’s senior students. Of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,000 untimately receive Merit Scholarship awards. This year, SSES also added five NMS Commended Scholars: Madeline Cashen, Caroline Gans, Connor Grindal, Tyler Kadivar, and Luke Phommachanh.

Saint Stephen’s recently welcomed acclaimed speaker Kelsey Tainsh to campus. Tainsh successfully overcame a brain tumor at age five and went on to become a world champion wakeboarder. Ten years later, at 15, the tumor returned, followed by a crippling stroke. Despite her significant physical challenges, Tainsh worked hard to pull herself up and charged back into life, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Florida and going on to work for The Coca-Cola Company. A renowned professional speaker, Tainsh travels the country presenting to audiences at colleges, schools, organizations, and corporations. On Sept. 22, she used her unique brand of humor and inspiration to share a message of persistence and perspective with SSES students at all grade levels.

Saint Stephen’s 2010 graduate Naarai Jacobs appears on a new song from Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Use the link included below to hear the song “Finish Line” from John’s album “The Lockdown Sessions.” Listen all the way to the end and you’ll hear Naarai’s soaring voice. Jacobs graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. The following year, she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. She has sung background vocals for Kanye West. Bret Michaels, Logic, Alessia Cara, Tori Kelly, Kirk Franklin and others. She has also sung with legendary composer David Foster and appeared with Beyonce at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEyCVAIfiCk

Dr. Jan Pullen, who has served as Head of School at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School for the past 19 years, has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2023. Pullen came to Saint Stephen’s in 1988 as the Director of the Lower School and served in a variety of leadership roles before being named to her current post in 2003. She has led Saint Stephen’s through a period of tremendous growth that has helped establish SSES as one of the most-respected independent schools in Florida. Current enrollment stands at nearly 700 students in Pre-K3 through grade 12.

During her tenure, Pullen has overseen a series of important capital projects on campus, including the construction of the third Upper School building (2003), the Middle School (2010), the Moore Athletic Complex (2013), and the Marine Science Center (2016). The school’s endowment has grown from $275,000 to approximately $9-million, and key classroom initiatives involving technology, marine science, global outreach, and emotional intelligence have been implemented and become part of the culture of academic excellence on campus.

Pullen is also one of the most respected independent school leaders in the U.S., having served in key positions at the state and national levels on the boards of the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) and the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES). She is a current faculty member in the University of Pennsylvania Mid-Career Program, as well.

A search committee will be created to facilitate the process of choosing a new head of school with guidance from Educational Directions, a national search firm. The Saint Stephen’s Board of Trustees will ultimately be tasked with choosing Pullen’s successor, with a target date of May 2022 for selection and a July 1, 2023 start date. Pullen will remain in her current position throughout the 2022-23 school year in order to help create a comfortable transition to the new head of school.

Saint Stephen’s celebrated its 46th graduating class on Saturday, May 22, with a beautiful commencement ceremony under sunny skies at the Moore Athletic Complex at Turner Fields. Our 70 seniors collected their diplomas in front of family members and enjoyed an inspirational graduation address from Mr. Jeremy Perron, an alumnus of the Class of 2011, and graduate of Holy Cross who currently works as a management consultant for Teneo in New York City. The Class of 2021 was recognized for its excellence throughout a most challenging year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourteen graduates were offered honors college/leadership program enrollment at their chosen college, including merit scholarships, research, travel, and enhanced academic opportunities. Three graduates were awarded their university’s top academic scholarship, paying full tuition, housing, and research or study abroad grants. Of the seniors who identified a first-choice college, 96% were accepted to that college. In total, the graduates earned more than $4-million in merit scholarships and $700,000 in Bright Futures awards. Eight members of the class were recruited to play collegiate athletics: football, baseball, tennis, and lacrosse.

The members of the Class of 2021 announced their college destinations at our annual College Pennant Ceremony on April 28 at the Moore Athletic Complex. One by one, the seniors made their way to the stage and pinned their photo on a map of the United States, next to a pennant of their intended college or university. The students were cheered on by their family members, faculty, staff, and students from the Middle and Upper schools.

The Class of 2021 matriculation list includes: Boston University, Davidson, East Stroudsburg University, Embry-Riddle, Oxford College at Emory, Flagler, Florida Atlantic, Florida Tech, Florida State, George Washington, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Louisiana State, Marquette, Miami of Ohio, Northeastern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SMU, SCF, Swarthmore, TCU, Alabama, Tennessee, Sewanee, West Florida, Trine, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Arkansas, Cal-Davis, Cal-San Diego, UCF, Colorado, Denver, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi, UNC Charlotte, South Florida, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Ursinus, Wake Forest, Washington University St Louis.

The entire ceremony was broadcast live and is now archived and available for viewing at the Saint Stephen’s Facebook page.