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Andrew Tripodo '08 - March 2018

After graduating from Kenyon College with a major in political science, I joined Teach For America and began teaching high school history and English in a large public school outside New Orleans. After two years, I knew education was my field, but I also knew that I wasn’t done studying the political and social questions at the heart of every government and society, so I enrolled in a graduate program in American Political Theory at NYU. After graduating in 2016, I became the History Curriculum Specialist for Democracy Prep Public Schools, a Harlem-based network of charter schools.
Name: Andrew Tripodo
 
Class Year: 2008
 
College/University (If applicable): Kenyon College (2012), NYU (2016
 
Short Bio (In 150 words OR LESS, please describe what you’ve done since graduating from MCDS): 
 
After graduating from Kenyon College with a major in political science, I joined Teach For America and began teaching high school history and English in a large public school outside New Orleans. After two years, I knew education was my field, but I also knew that I wasn’t done studying the political and social questions at the heart of every government and society, so I enrolled in a graduate program in American Political Theory at NYU. After graduating in 2016, I became the History Curriculum Specialist for Democracy Prep Public Schools, a Harlem-based network of charter schools.

Now I’m back in Miami, managing the nonprofit Knowledge of Careers – an after school program that teaches the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and business to low-income students across Miami - and teaching at the Cushman High School.

In addition, I’m part of a team of MCDS alumni that are putting together the first edition of a city-wide student newspaper, which will allow students from schools all across Miami to submit their writing for publication by The Miami Times, the historic Miami newspaper run by alumnus Garth Reeves!

Any students or alumni interested in teaching, starting a nonprofit, or applying to graduate school in the social sciences, please feel free to reach out to me at alumni@miamicountryday.org

Please share one of your favorite moments, experiences, or memories from your time at Miami Country Day.
 
It was quiz time for seniors in Mr. Konen's Marine Biology class, and people were low energy. Then....'BAM' screamed Konen, as he cut down and through rows of desks, like an Olympian training for a quiz-passing competition. I remember thinking that I could've gone faster, then he was upon me and I thought of nothing but underwater life. Turns out there's a lot of it, more than can fill a teenage human's brain. As mini sharks swam in their aquarium next to me, my confidence sank.
 
What is one experience from MCDS that you’ve taken with you and have referred back to as a resource or guide in your adult life?
 
I went from being a very shy and reserved student who was unsure of his abilities to somebody much more confident in their intellectual capabilities. I developed a certain boldness and personal confidence that has served me well – that development was the result of the MCDS culture and several specific teachers.

What advice would you offer future MCDS alumni?
 
Confidently pursue your passions, but not brashly.
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