Woodstock School Alumni Magazine Vol CIV, 2011

Quadrangle - 13
Amy Seefeldt ‘93
I loved my
Woodstock
experience
and was sad
to leave, but
actually never
thought I’d
return (other
than to visit
family). Through
college, I drifted into studying education
and history, moving to Atlanta for about
ten years. After eight years teaching
history at a college-prep school there, I
started feeling restless. I heard about a
history opening through Ms. Chander,
and the rest is literally history. It just
seemed like the right time to come back.
A better question than why I came back
is perhaps why I’m choosing to stay now.
I’ve signed my second contract. I worked
on the recent 2020 Vision. I’ve realized
that, even as we imagine our communal
future, it’s important to preserve the best
parts of the Woodstock experience: the
intense debates about everything from
Wai Wai to reincarnation, the simplicity
of walking to experience our world, the
passion to see increased justice and
equality in the world, music practice
in the sunny Quad. It’s important to
preserve a way of life that allows for bun
omelettes at Char Dukhan. After being
back for three years, and despite the
occasional turmoil, I firmly believe that
Woodstock is uniquely placed to find
the road forward the world needs. Our
natural, socioeconomic, and cultural
environments, our Christian heritage,
and the strange fearlessness that
Woodstock students absorb seemingly by
osmosis all conspire to forge an intense
community of learning that I count it an
unqualified privilege to serve.
Sue Swain Rollins ‘ 77
I love working with the students from
many different nationalities and it is
also nice to be able to work in a boarding
school setting as you have more
input into the students’ lives than in a
day school. I feel that I am able to give
many things to the students sharing
my love of hiking, nature, history, cultures,
crafts and writing in this lovely mountainous setting.
Kirsten Bradby ‘96
I was born in Mussoorie and
spent my most formative years
here, until the age of 13. I loved
growing up here. I enjoyed
the close sense of community
at Woodstock as well as its diversity.
I was very attached to the
physical surroundings – the mountains, the trees,
the khuds, the views, the misty green monsoons and
the clear October skies. I was drawn back to Woodstock
through an email sent to alumni announcing
a job opening to work as part of the admissions team,
focusing on student recruitment around the world.
At the time I was working long hours as a corporate
finance lawyer in London, and had been hankering
after something different. This role seemed like
a good fit for me. I greatly value the education I received
at Woodstock, and I felt that the wonderful
opportunity Woodstock offers students in combining
academic excellence with a well-rounded social and
cultural education, all in the beautiful surroundings
of the Indian Himalaya, was one which I would
be keen to promote. Although moving from corporate
law to school admissions was a big change, I’m
happy I took the plunge. I love being back in these
mountains, and I am enjoying being part of the
community here. A lot of what makes this school so
special is its students - the diversity of cultures, religions,
backgrounds, abilities, talents and dreams
they each bring with them. It is a privilege to be part
of the admissions team, seeking to ensure Woodstock
continues to have a wonderful, motivated and diverse
student body, and seeing individual lives transformed
and horizons widened with each new intake
of students to Woodstock.