Recent graduates, nominated by members of the SCH community, open up about their found success, gratitude, and desire to do good.
Amidst the bustling world of aspiring professionals, a select group of recent SCH alumni are steadily carving their paths to success. Each of these individuals, no more than 16 years out of SCH, was nominated as someone who, according to our mission, “leads a life characterized by thoughtfulness, integrity, and a quest to effect positive change” by a member of the SCH community. Their stories, though marked by what some may call setbacks, have been fueled by a found interest, a passion to make a difference, and a healthy dose of resilience.
These are their stories at a moment in time when they have found success through their professional endeavors, in part thanks to SCH. Where they will go next is undetermined, but after reading these profiles we think you’ll agree: These alumni will be aiming high.
“It’s impossible to think about entrepreneurship without thinking of the jersey stripes." Benjamin Rubin '14
Matthew ’11 and Benjamin ’14 Rubin
Founders, SnoFox
“It’s impossible to think about entrepreneurship without thinking of the jersey stripes,” says Benjamin Rubin ’14, who, alongside his brother, Matthew Rubin ’11, founded SnoFox in 2020 to “safeguard and optimize the global cold chain to ensure reliable distribution of foodstuffs and vaccines to people all around the world.”
The brothers say they started their company to solve a “dire problem”: They wanted to improve the global cold supply chain— or the transportation and management of perishable items—by increasing reliability and reducing energy inefficiency and waste. “Most people take for granted the food in their refrigerators and the vaccines at their hospitals and pharmacies,” they say. “The unfortunate truth is that 50 percent of the world’s vaccines and 14 percent of the world’s food goes to waste yearly due to breakdowns and interruptions in the cold supply chain.”
SnoFox, which tested its limits with a small-scale pilot on a vaccine refrigerator in Southeast Asia early on in the pandemic, provides operators of cold warehouses with data-driven insights to reduce their energy spend and prevent mechanical failures. The Rubins say that while they are leading their company of 15, they continuously draw inspiration from the values they learned as students at CHA. “First and foremost,” they say, “the courage needed to make the leap to doing something like this full-time is perhaps only fully realized after you’ve made the jump and get that ‘Oh geez, don’t look down’ feeling. Anyone who has started something or gone off on their path in any way can tell you how scary it can be and the amount of courage it takes to even get off the starting block. The other four stripes show up every single day you step into work and lead a team.”
As co-founders and family members, they also rely on the collaboration (and competitive spirit) they learned from attending CHA and playing sports side-by-side.
“The emotional and psychological burdens of entrepreneurship are incredibly taxing so having someone you’ve known since birth (literally) is completely invaluable,” they say. “We’re constantly trying to make ourselves better, improve the company, and make an impact in the world but what ultimately keeps us going is our love for each other and our love for our work.”
Next up? The brothers plan to continue to expand.
“We’re extremely excited to continue to expand into more facilities around the country and the globe,” they say, “as well as have a continuing positive impact on as many people as possible.”
Read more of these profiles in our print edition, here.