Alumni News

Durham Academy alumni are reaching out to help others as COVID-19 is drastically changing life around the globe. This is the second installment of a story about alumni contributions that appeared in last week’s News & Notes, and below are more ways DA alumni are putting their varied talents to work.

Bernadette Cooper Vereen ’14 credits Durham Academy with equipping her with skills she has used to navigate college and the start of her career in maternal health and social work. Now a graduate student, she hopes to become a perinatal social worker and address racial disparities in childbirth outcomes, with an ultimate goal of opening a natural birthing center for low-income families.

Six alumni were inducted into Durham Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Dec. 6. This marks the fourth class of inductees for the Athletic Hall of Fame, which was established in 2013 and taps new members every other year.

From the time Nina Varela ’13 learned to read and write, she knew she wanted to be a writer. She is grateful to the Durham Academy teachers who “who encouraged me and took my writing seriously — even when I didn’t.” Her debut novel, Crier’s War, was released in the fall, and now she’s finishing up edits for the sequel and outlining her third book. 

As a coordinator for clinical trials at Duke Cancer Institute, Marco Reyes ’10 sees “the good in humanity” as patients participate in trials that may one day benefit people they’ll never know.

Durham Academy challenged Yates Sikes ’08 to think of different ways to problem solve. Now, as a mechanical engineer, he’s using that skill to innovate and modernize rail cars that impact riders in major cities across the U.S.

Alumni reconnected on campus, and classes ending in 4s and 9s gathered for a reunion party at Boxcar Bar + Arcade.

DA grounded Emma Edwards ’08 with a strong work ethic. The math major decided to apply her mathematical background to engineering after researching wave energy, and had never taken an engineering class before she began her Ph.D. work at MIT. Edwards’ love for adventure has taken her to Scotland and Australia, and prompted her to shift from cycling as a means of transportation to participating in national championship races.

Nick Livengood ’08 spent his entire pre-college educational career at Durham Academy. And now, he has returned to his alma mater as the 2019–2020 Alumni Board President.

Six alumni athletes will be inducted into Durham Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Dec. 6. This marks the fourth class of inductees for the Athletic Hall of Fame, which was established in 2013 and taps new members every other year.

Life-changing teachers make a difference. Jessica Whilden is the epitome of a life-changing teacher who makes a difference. Thus, it is fitting that she is honored with the 2019 F. Robertson Hershey Distinguished Faculty Award.

Katie Ryan (Amick) Kantz ’98 was a “lifer” at Durham Academy, where she played field hockey and other sports passionately and was a student leader.

For Margaret Jones ’99, every day of work is “filled with promise” as she helps patients with neurologic injury to regain quality of life and independence. Her work has taken her to cities around the country, and along the way, she’s visited all 50 states.