Every Quarter

Never in her wildest dreams did Carrie St. Louis imagine that she would be attending her 10-year PA Reunion with three Broadway musicals under her belt.

Even as a child, St. Louis was a natural on stage, performing musical theater in a variety of classic roles in productions like Annie, The Wizard of Oz, and The Sound of Music. A background in opera helped the hard-working actress find her way to the big stage remarkably fast. In 2014, just a couple years out of college, St. Louis auditioned for the original Las-Vegas based production of Rock of Ages, and landed the lead role of Sherrie Christian. From there, she scored what she excitedly calls a “dream role,” playing Glinda in the smash hit Wicked.

We caught up with St. Louis on campus while she was reconnecting with friends and Andover family at her 10th Reunion. She recounted her time spent at PA, shared some valuable lessons learned, and a bit of insight along her journey in carving out a spotlight on Broadway. This year, she can be seen stepping into the role of Lauren in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots. She is a member of Andover’s Class of 2008.

For the past three decades, George Smith Jr., Class of 1983, has specialized in covering the intersection of sports and society. While at ESPN in the 2000's Smith was the go-to reporter on breaking stories like Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case, Michael Vick's dogfighting ring and the Duke Lacrosse investigation.

In this episode of Every Quarter, Smith looks back on his broadcast journalism career and the evolution of the business with Director of Communication Tracy Sweet. He recounts how he started off in the field, why social media has changed the game, and theorizes an approach to a potential on-camera interview with elusive fellow alum and New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick '71.

2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the 19th amendment, and yet still voting and voter's rights remains one of the most vital issues facing our democracy. As a newly appointed Mellon-Schlesinger Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, Corinne Field is looking at the intersectionality between this historical milestone and women in America by exploring the closely intertwined roots of race and age segregation in American feminism.

Field is an assistant professor of women, gender, and sexuality at the University of Virginia and a member of Andover's Class of 1983.

2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the 19th amendment, and yet still voting and voter's rights remains one of the most vital issues facing our democracy. As a newly appointed Mellon-Schlesinger Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, Corinne Field is looking at the intersectionality between this historical milestone and women in America by exploring the closely intertwined roots of race and age segregation in American feminism.

Field is an assistant professor of women, gender, and sexuality at the University of Virginia and a member of Andover's Class of 1983.

Jonathan Adler, class of 2008, is unnecessarily humble, completely self-depreciating, and while he'd never admit it, a hilarious talent. As a staff writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Adler is part of the team that — as he describes it —makes people laugh and feel good every night before they go to bed.

On this episode of Every Quarter, Adler traces his comic roots from writing for The Phillpian to the Harvard Lampoon to late-night TV in New York. He talks his first on-air pitch, how he ended up on camera in a recurring bit, and one controversial Features satire that had the PA administration knocking at his door. While he admits Andover initially wasn't where he wanted to be, ten years later, he now credits his burgeoning comedy writing career to his time spent telling jokes and finding his voice in the basement of Morse Hall.

Hafsat Abiola ’92 is a fighter. A seeker of justice. A champion for human rights. Her life is a story of discovery, tragedy, resiliency, and action. Inspired by the unlawful imprisonment of her father and the assassination of her mother, Abiola has dedicated her life to promoting democracy in Nigeria and empowering women around the world. In 1996 she founded the NGO Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), which seeks to involve women and youth in Africa’s social, economic and political development. Most recently, Abiola was named Executive President of Women in Africa (WIA) Initiative.

In this episode of Every Quarter, Emily Ndiokho ’18 sits down with Abiola to discuss how Andover has inspired her, current challenges facing Africa’s economic development, and the spread of Nigerian culture across the world.

Adobe After Effects is a staple in the visual effects post-production world. It is used in large-scale Hollywood productions, network television, and even by the Office of Communication here at Andover. The software’s co-founder, David Simons, is a member of Andover’s class of 1986.

On this episode of Every Quarter, Simons sits down with Neil Evans to discuss his career path to Adobe, the struggles of having one of the first personal computers at Andover, and his advice for aspiring coders.

Simons’ new project, Character Animator, combines elements of After Effects with live action puppetry technology and has been featured recently on the Stephen Colbert Show [embedded below] and a live episode of The Simpsons.

Gus Quattlebaum ’93 is a baseball lifer. From his time at Andover playing in Phelps Park to setting hitting records at Davidson College to traveling across the Americas in search of the next big league star, Quattlebaum has made a career out of the game he loves. Now, as the Boston Red Sox’s Vice President of Professional Scouting, he manages a team of national scouts, compiles players reports that influence roster moves, and oversees the club's minor league talent development.

Back in January Gus returned to Andover to participate in our Hot Stove night with fellow baseball insiders, and took some time to talk with Kevin Graber, Senior Associate Director of Admission and Varsity Baseball Coach. He even hints at the eventual signing of slugger J.D. Martinez. This one’s a must-listen for Red Sox die hards and anyone who follows baseball or is looking to break into the business of sports. Play ball!

What does the term citizenship mean? Does it relate to place of birth or residency? What are the requirements of citizenship and have those requirements evolved over time? Who determines citizenship and by what criteria? We’ve been trying to answer this question in as many ways as possible in the classroom, during All-School Meetings and with varied guest speakers on campus. Citizenship is not only the theme for Andover's 2017-2018 academic year but a pressing issue that is affecting everyone around the globe. Since September 2017, more than 20 guest speakers—recruited from departments across campus—have touched on the theme of citizenship. Their talks have addressed a range of timely issues and spurred ongoing conversations on topics such as gender-based violence, politics and identity, climate and economic policy, citizenship and race, and others. 

The winter 2018 issue of Andover magazine explores the complexities of citizenship. Andover faculty were asked to contribute to the conversation and write essays on their experiences and interpretations. We then asked three of them—Marisela Ramos, Elizabeth Meyer and, Eric Roland—to read their essays for Every Quarter.

A member of the Class of 1990, NBC News Correspondent Stephanie Gosk, returned to campus recently to discuss her latest assignment: the rise of the #MeToo movement and cases of sexual misconduct that are plaguing industries from business and entertainment to sports and politics. In this episode of Every Quarter, she talks about the scandal erupting around USA Gymnastics, journalistic integrity, and what it’s like to report from a war zone. Super Bowl fans will want to stick around for her decidedly biased view of the big game.