Life after high school? Alums offer help at Strath Haven
Retired Strath Haven teacher starts alumni careers talk program
“I was thinking about how people go from high school to college and make their decisions on what they want to study and how job opportunities come up and all of that kind of stuff. As I started thinking about this I thought, ‘We really should bring some of these people back,’ and I mentioned it to her and she said she would be happy to speak to students.” — Dan Zimmerman, a recently retired 40-year educator at Strath Haven High School
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> What is life like after high school, and how does one reach their career goals?
This is the basis for an upcoming event at Strath Haven High School on Dec. 13 called “Ten Stories: The Journey from High School till Now…” that brings ten Panthers back to their alma mater to speak with students about completing college and having a satisfying career. Teachers, photographers and doctors are some of the careers that alumnus will be able to give background information on to current students at the event.
The idea was generated by Dan Zimmerman, a recently retired 40-year educator at Strath Haven High School, in conjunction with alumnus Deanna Nanni during dinner conversation in the summer.
“I was thinking about how people go from high school to college and make their decisions on what they want to study and how job opportunities come up and all of that kind of stuff,” said Zimmerman recalling that productive dinner with Nanni. “As I started thinking about this I thought, ‘We really should bring some of these people back,’ and I mentioned it to her and she said she would be happy to speak to students.”
With at least one committed alumnus attached to the program – Nanni –Zimmerman set out to find more alums. He did, and he ended up with a slate of ten prosperous women to share their stories with the community.
Zimmerman said it was intentional that he wanted only women for this first installation, laying the groundwork for the program to have a certain theme if continues. Successful women is the inaugural theme.
“A lot of times you get males come back to talk about what they do, but you don’t get a lot of females and I’ve always felt they’ve been underrepresented,” he said. “We needed a theme and I didn’t want it to be a hodge podge. Every time I bring age group in I want it to be a theme so it has cohesiveness to it.”
Even with the femalecentric lineup, “Ten Stories” is not limited to only girls to attend. This is for all interested students to get a first-hand account of what their predecessors were capable of doing after walking Strath Haven’s halls.
Zimmerman said these accomplished women are of upstanding character that is admirable to everyone.
“These aren’t just 10 people who
who have interesting jobs: these are 10 people that have been quality people. They’re real role models from when they were in high school, and they’re role models now,” he said. “If you were a parent you would want your child to listen to these 10 individuals and get something out of it.”
The following Panthers are the first to participate in the “Ten Stories” program this year:
Patience Scott c/o 1992Scott was an acclaimed student athlete chalking up at least 1,000 points while playing Strath Haven basketball. She continued playing basketball on a full scholarship at University of Richmond where she earned her bachelors in sociology with a concentration in elementary education. She continued her education at University of Virginia and worked as an elementary education teacher before working for 14 years at the Virginia Department of Education. She returned to Wallingford-Swarthmore School District in 2018 as a teacher.
Robin Michener Nathan c/o 2000- Nathan had her career lens focused on photography ever since Strath Haven. She graduated with a photojournalism degree from Syracuse University and then moved to Atlanta working at two local newspapers and garnering awards for her work. In 2008 she went out on her own and started a high-profile photography business serving clients like The Ritz-Carlton, Goldman Sachs and her work has been published in The New York Times.
Dr. Sarah Godwin c/o 2001Godwin was one of the best student golf players in the state when she attended at Strath Haven, continuing her athletic success with regional accolades on the green at Amherst College in Massachusetts. She earned a BA in biology and graduated with her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in 2011. After residency in 2014, she was selected to serve as a staff physician for Congress, the Justices of the Supreme Court and Senate pages.
Shannon Grassano Austin c/o 2002- Austin graduated with a self-proclaimed fabulous degree from the University of Florida in music education. She earned her earned education certification from Santa Fe College and began to teach elementary education. Austin eventually switched to having her own photography business.
Megan Crowley, DPT c/o
2010- An ankle injury during her junior year at Strath Haven pushed Crowley to want to pursue a career in the physical therapy field. She received her undergraduate degree in physical therapy at the University of Delaware before completing her doctorate of physical therapy from Widener University in 2017. Her field interests include general orthopedics, balance disorders and treatment of acute/chronic pain.
Megan Floyd c/o 2011- This nationally ranked fencing champion graduated from Sacred Heart University with a degree in media studies and graphic design in 2015. She works as a production assistant with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in Stamford, Connecticut.
Renee Tallman c/o 2012Tallman is a pediatric occupational therapist who graduated with her bachelor and master degrees from Thomas Jefferson University in 2017. In grad school she worked with a development group with high-risk youth in Philadelphia. She has presented at state and national occupational therapy conferences. Tallman completed field work at Bryn Mawr Rehab.
Deanna Nanni c/o 2013Given the maternal nature of her last name (“Nanny”), Nanni thought she would be a teacher. She switched to integrated marketing communications when she applied to Ithaa College. An internship at the advertising agency
R2C Group led to a full-time position as an assistant media Planner. In 2018 she switched to Comcast Spotlight as a research analyst and planner.
Heather Treston c/o 2013Treston is a cinematography student from Temple University who works as a freelance production assistant in the film industry. She has also worked as a camera assistant on commercial shoots and television series.
Kaitlin Graham c/o 2015The youngest alumnus to join the panel, Graham is a senior mechanical engineering major at the University of Maryland. At Strath Haven she took charge of technology for stage productions and was a certified EMT, the only one in the school at that time. Graham is looking to work in the assistive robotics field by helping to build prosthetics for veterans.
Following a Q&A session in the auditorium, the panelists will be able to have face-to-face time with inquiring students in the school library.
Zimmerman said his job as a teacher is to help students succeed. Even in retirement, he still wants to make sure that continues.
“My whole life has been trying to increase people’s positive attitude,” he said. Paraphrasing Napoleon Hill, he is “a firm believer in the idea that if you can achieve it you can do it.”
“These aren’t just 10 people who have interesting jobs: these are 10 people that have been quality people. They’re real role models from when they were in high school, and they’re role models now.”
— Dan Zimmerman, a recently retired 40-year educator at Strath Haven High School