At Baccalaureate: the Value of Hard Work, Community, and Changing Your Perspective

“If you had told me back then that I would be standing up here today, living in Washington, Connecticut, married with two kids and a 14-year-old cat that’s borderline senile, I would have told you that you were crazy. In fact, I did tell my mother, Marjorie Marek P’05, that she was crazy, right out there on the Green, where she told me on graduation day that she could see me coming back here some day to live and work,” said McMann, who went on to share stories about Gunn helped shape her as a person, and some of the lessons she learned along the way.

McMann first joined the Gunn community in 2002 as a sophomore from Alexandria, Virginia. A three-sport varsity athlete, she served as captain of the field hockey, ice  hockey, and lacrosse teams her senior year. After Gunn, McMann graduated from Hamilton College, where she was a member of both the hockey and lacrosse programs, and led the Hamilton Women’s Lacrosse Team to a national championship in 2008.

Since returning to Gunn as a faculty member in 2009, she has been a consummate triple threat, serving in the Admissions and College Counseling offices, coaching ice hockey and lacrosse, and leading the girls ice hockey team to a New England Championship. She is also a house parent, trusted advisor and colleague, then-Head of School Peter Becker said in his introduction.

Growing up in Alexandria, McMann said her father, Andrew Marek P’05, taught her the importance of hard work and dedication, timing her as she sought to improve her record on a one-mile track that looped around a former World War II prison ground. That competitive drive and work ethic served McMann well as she took to sports from an early age.

“I challenged myself in school to get the best grades and competed in every soccer, basketball, and softball contest determined to win. Whether fighting for a ball, stealing a base, or blocking a shot, I loved competition and battling alongside my  teammates. With this mindset, though, came feelings of pressure, self-doubt and disappointment. I took losses personally and worried constantly about my ability  to meet my perceived expectations of others, and the expectations I had of myself. Still though, I loved the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment that came with team sports and working toward a common goal,” she reflected.

At Gunn, she drew further inspiration from her teachers and coaches, including Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Coach Hugh Caldara, who helped solidify her decision to come to Gunn, and Coach Julia Alling ’81 P’19, who encouraged the field hockey team to work together and push through discomfort while Instilling in her players a great sense of  school pride. Although her Head Tour Guide interview did not yield the result she had hoped for, former Dean of Students Chris Baudo’s questions helped her to reflect on what working hard, getting good grades, and being involved really meant relative to her character, and what she truly cared about. That connection inspired her to engage more in the classroom than she had in the past, and academically, she excelled.

“While I definitely took more ownership of my learning, it was my teachers who played a significant role in my growth and intellectual development. It was because of teachers like Alisa Croft, who was also my advisor, that I grew more confident in  subjects like math by teaching me that sometimes you just need to change your approach to how you think about a problem,” McMann said.

“We talk a lot as a school about One Trusted Adult, and I was fortunate to have more than one during my high school years,” she further reflected. “My lacrosse coach, Shannon Baudo, was another mentor who had a significant impact on my  life. I struggled with the pressure I put on myself and was sometimes my own worst enemy, often dwelling on mistakes I’d made long after they’d occurred. Coach Baudo taught me that hard work isn’t always going to be rewarded, and that how I react to a setback says far more about my character than winning or coming up with the  big play. Like Mrs. Croft, she was able to help me see things from a different perspective. Mrs. Baudo also recruited me to come back to the school. I came to believe, with Mrs. Baudo’s encouragement, that I would find the role of an educator both fun and rewarding. After 14 years, I continue to find joy in my work. I am grateful each day for the friends and family who surround me.”

“Seniors,” McMann concluded, “ I  hope you will regard your time here as fondly as I  have. It’s been incredibly rewarding working with all of you during the college application process. You have all reflected deeply on your values during your time here at Gunn and I am confident you will go on and accomplish great things in your future endeavors. Work hard in all you do  but remember that your hard work is not always going to be rewarded. Accept that you will face setbacks, reach out for help if you need it, but remember that you are the one who is in the driver seat. Keep in touch and remain loyal to the school and your friends. Loyalty to friends and family  is a value I hold paramount , and it has helped me greatly over the years. Stay in touch  with both your friends here at Gunn and with the greater Gunn community whatever  happens outside this campus. Know that you can always call this place home and the people here your family.”  

To view more photos of our 2023 Baccalaureate Service and Senior Coffee, visit our SmugMug Gallery.