Roycemore Alum Agnes Kolbeck (née Robin Mahung) is Program Director for the Lexington chapter of Youth Advocate Programs – a non-profit agency that works with high risk youth and families around the U.S. and abroad. After leaving Roycemore, she attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and studied Developmental Psychology, Child Development, and Social Work. Immediately upon graduation, she began her Masters program in Children’s Law and Policy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, completing her thesis on Restorative Justice in 2014. 

“Thinking back on my time at Roycemore, I most value how my teachers were collaborators in my education. They didn’t tell me what to do or how to do it – they sought out my strengths and used them to help me excel. My experience in expecting and advocating for teamwork from those in leadership roles has served me far beyond my years at Roycemore and presented me with opportunities that my peers have missed out on – both academically and professionally. I think more impersonal school settings can sometimes discourage students from asking ‘why’ and digging deeper in ways that Roycemore definitely encouraged me to do.”

Dr. Terry Gdoutos is a Research Scientist in Aerospace at the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, CA, where he designs, analyzes, and develops structural systems for lightweight spacecraft, designed to beam solar energy to Earth, providing limitless power to the planet. After graduating from Roycemore in 2005, he studied Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at Northwestern University, earning two BS degrees, and subsequently obtained his PhD in Aeronautics from Caltech.

When I remember my years at Roycemore, it is clear to me that Roycemore’s culture of excellence and individuality has positively shaped my life since graduation. Roycemore emphasized learning through discovery, critical thinking, and challenging oneself; values that have remained with me to this day. Outside the classroom, the opportunities to build friendships through the extracurricular activities offered also shaped my character and proved to be invaluable, particularly through soccer, baseball (which I had never played before), and scholastic bowl. Through my January Short Term projects, I learned and was inspired by the logic behind how computers operate, and went on to study Computer Science in college. I still remember how I learned to critically analyze film on another JST project. Roycemore provided me with a truly unique experience. 

Christopher Deutsch has spent over 20 years investing in and working with early-stage startups in ecommerce, enterprise software, social media and consumer internet.  He has been founder, co-founder or founding team member of numerous angel and VC-backed ventures where his responsibilities have included marketing, product development, fundraising, business development and M&A.  After graduating from Roycemore in 1993, Chris received his BA in Economics from Vassar College, where he played varsity lacrosse, basketball and rugby.

Roycemore was much more for me than just a series of challenging courses, competitive teams, brilliant teachers, dedicated coaches, extravagant Palio performances, and clandestine trips to D&D Dogs between periods. Roycemore was, and continues to be, a vibrant, stimulating and diverse community with a wide range of subjects, activities and sports to explore. Not to mention, January Short Term, which I’d look forward to every year. Whether it was living with a French family in Paris, winter ecology and hiking with Mr. Spica in Wisconsin, recreating Normandy’s D-Day invasion, or learning how to run a snowboard shop as an independent study on entrepreneurship, I was able to pique interests, gain international exposure and build lifelong memories.

Geoffrey Mark is a Computer Graphics Supervisor in the Television and Movie Industry. He has worked on such well-known projects as Spider Man 3, Battlestar Galactica, The Vampire Diaries and The Orville. He also spent time in the Video Game Animation business working on several Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo games, even running his own business for a period of time. Reflecting back on his career, Geoffrey is quick to point out that one his first experiences with animation was at Roycemore School during his January Short Term (JST).

When Donnis Hobson graduated from Roycemore in 1966, it was a class of all girls. She sought out a co-ed experience and became the first student from Roycemore to be accepted to Stanford University. Many of the girls in her class and the classes before at Roycemore attended women’s colleges on the east coast. It set such a precedent that Stanford came to visit her at Roycemore to ensure the candidate and school were a good fit. At the time, Stanford could only accept 400 women per class of 1200 students. It would be among the first times that Donni Hobson was in an environment dominated by men.

Donnis wanted two things from life.  To be a doctor and to have a family. In 1966 the country was just beginning to see women pursuing careers and families at the same time. Pursuing a career in medicine was all the rarer. When she advanced to the University of Chicago for her MD, she was one of 15 women in a cohort of 90 medical students. When she secured her surgical internship at Northwestern Hospital she was the only female of 30 interns in the surgery rotation. Dr. Donnis Hobson was the 3rd woman ever admitted to the plastics program at Northwestern. Not only was she among the first female board-certified plastic surgeons, she was #769 of Board Certifications in plastic surgery in the entire country.  When she opened her first practice in plastics, she served with the first board-certified African American woman in the country.

Donnis had a great start in her career, and it was Roycemore that gave it to her. Donnis’ father served on the Board of Trustees with Dr. Hal Griffith whose children attended Roycemore as well. Dr. Griffith was the first Chief of Plastic Surgery at Northwestern. Dr. Griffith took Donnis under his wing and inspired her to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. “He gave me great opportunities when I came back to do my plastics residency. Imagine a 4th year medical student sewing up after the Chief! If I did it imperfectly, he would remove the stitches and have me do it again. It was an incredible experience and I had that because of Roycemore.”  Donnis explains that she wasn’t the most studious of people, “surgeons want to do, they don’t want to study! But I read the 15 books a year from the list of required reading and I enjoyed learning Shakespeare, but I am the only doctor I ever met who didn’t take physics in High School. My foundation was so good, however, that did not matter.” Roycemore provided her the opportunity to learn and to learn what her dreams were while also providing the opportunity to pursue them. In addition, she also believed she had the opportunity to just be a kid.

While medicine has opened to women more in the years following her education, the field of plastic surgery is still only made up of 25% female surgeons. Donnis notes that the profession has been difficult on many women who struggle to maintain a marriage, a family and a career. Upon reflection her best advice is, “Each day is a new priority. Women are often told what their priorities should be. I found that if I was flexible, and each day I evaluated the options of actions for the day– whether it is a sick child, or a hand that needs to be reconstructed– I can decide between the priorities, recognizing that the next day, it may switch. It is that flexibility that has enabled me to have a successful career and home life.”

Donnis is now retired. After 25 years in practice including private practice in pediatric plastics, breast reconstruction and her recent service to San Mateo county helping prisoners, the uninsured and other vulnerable populations, she looks forward to what may come next. In between those years, she managed to shepherd a marriage of 46 years, raise children who now have children of their own She even completed an MBA from San Francisco State.

“I set these goals as a kid, to be a doctor and to have a family. Maybe I should have done more – maybe there is more left to do.”