Our Alumni/ae

The CSW alumni/ae community is one that is hard to characterize in words. So we'll put it simply: CSW alumni/ae are interesting. They are interesting people, doing interesting things, making their mark on the world in a vast variety of unique and creative ways. They stand out in a crowd. They challenge the status quo. They pursue their passions and devote themselves to the issues that matter to them.

"It was a CSW teacher who suggested I enter a minority student engineering program, UNITE (later called MITES), at MIT during the summer of my junior year. That program exposed me to biomedical, civil, and aerospace engineering. I returned to CSW my senior year with a renewed focus on a career as an aerospace engineer…. I can still remember that “aha” moment when we were taken downstairs to the pool table to get a hands-on  understanding of vectors and magnitude in physics class."

— Aprille Ericsson '81
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Defense
"I’ve been a professor at MIT for over 30 years now, and like CSW, MIT is a place that values intellectual curiosity and individuality. I strive to do for my students what teachers and students at CSW did for me. It’s a very high standard."

— Eric von Hippel '59
Professor of Technological Innovation, MIT Sloan School of Management
“After receiving both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, I can still say that CSW provided me with one of the most enriching academic experiences of my life, complete with in-depth analytical discussions, classmates from all around the world, and opportunities to study abroad. Furthermore, CSW requires students to have a work ethic and capacity for self-direction that prepared me well for college!”

— Hannah Clark Steiman ’98
Chief Operating Officer, Peak Support

"CSW taught me that ‘the other’ was not something to shy away from and gave me the freedom and ability to discover who I was in a very real sense. It was an incredibly impactful experience for me."

— Mark Culliton '82
Founder and CEO, College Bound Dorchester, a non-profit that uses education as a means to transform neighborhoods.  

"At the most basic level, CSW has this really amazing quality of not having a standard barrier of what is normal. Looking back at my time at CSW, it’s that quality of openness that I remember most. Arriving as a junior, and having moved across the world, I felt lucky to have found a place that was so welcoming, and a place that celebrated eccentricities."

— Hannah Hughes '05
Deputy Director of Donor Relations at The Obama Foundation
"Having the opportunity to return to CSW and pass on any fragment of what my teachers imparted on me is a true gift and something I have actively made time for every chance I'm able to make it back to town. Dance Chair Nailah Bellinger breeds such a passion in her students and doesn't let them accept anything less than their best attempt in learning and pushing their boundaries, regardless of concern over the outcome. It's a lesson that has served me deeply in my career and one that makes the students a joy to teach!"

— Adrian Hoffman '12
Professional Dancer/Choreographer, Cantankerous Creatures

Notable Alumni/ae

Helen Keller 1897
Author, political activist

Robert M. Cunningham '37
Cloud Physicist

David Mugar '59
Business Professional and Philanthropist

Andrew Strominger '72
Theoretical Physicist

Jonathan Roberts '73
Screen Writer/Producer

Peter McMahon '75
Architect

Ian Falconer '77
Author and Illustrator

Jennifer Coolidge '79
Actress

Miguel Arteta '83
Film Director

Suzanne Rivera '87
President of Macalester College

Jenni Konner '89
Writer and Producer

Prabda Yoon '92
Writer

Jonas Wood '95
Visual Artist

Amelia Meath '06
Electronic Dance Musician
45 Georgian Road | Weston, MA 02493 | 781-642-8600

CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.