SCH Students Learn from Industry Leaders

This fall, CEL students benefited from the wisdom of inspiring guest speakers—including several SCH parents—who shared their real-world experiences and expertise as leaders and entrepreneurs. From agriculture to fashion to psychology, they offered invaluable insights into how to run a business, organization, or team through thoughtful leadership.

Speaking to Upper School CEL students in October, Andrew Youn P’35, P’38, founder of One Acre Fund, emphasized the importance of understanding and serving customers who are, in his organization’s case, smallholder farmers in East Africa. In five years of operation, One Acre Fund has grown to serve 130,000 farm families and is more than doubling in size every year. “We continue to value trying to get as close to an understanding as possible to the people we serve,” he told students.

Similarly, Marguerite Adzick, founder and CEO of Addison Bay, shared her entrepreneurial journey, from a bold leap of faith to building an “elevated activewear” brand. She, too, spoke about the importance of “listening” to the customer. Recognized as one of Philadelphia Inquirer's "40 Under 40," Adzick underscored the power of innovation, problem-solving, and risk-taking. “I believed in the idea, I believed in the concept,” she said. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? “If you believe in something, you put blinders on and go for it.” She and Bombas co-founder Andrew Heath are two recent speakers who provided insight into the fashion industry and imparted useful advice for those students focusing on fashion innovation for their CEL ventures.

Noah McLaughlin ‘25, co-founder of Marino Surfwear, and Priya Jonas ‘25, the current CEO of Sonas to America, both said they learned a great deal during the presentations, especially from Adzick. “Her story about launching her business reminded me that success isn’t just about waiting for orders to come in, but about actively connecting with customers and sharing the message behind your brand, “ Jonas explained. “It really resonated with me, as every product we sell has a meaningful story, and her advice on local opportunities gave me new inspiration for growing our business.

From the bold risks taken by entrepreneurs to the calculated risks required for effective leadership, SCH students were exposed to a range of perspectives, including skills they can immediately take away in sports and school life. In Lance Ramer's Upper School Cultivating Leadership class through CEL, several dynamic speakers–including our own head of school, an athletics psychologist, and others–spoke about everything from the significance of effective communication to positive self-talk. The course covered the importance of goal setting and the power of a good mental mindset, among other topics. Students said they were grateful for lessons from speakers on patience, the balance of leadership, and time management.

By exposing students to these stories and leaders, SCH fosters a culture of innovation and vigorous teaching and learning, priorities of the school's strategic framework, Shaping Our Future.