‘Find Something That Brings You Joy and Fuels Your Passion’

Friends Academy alum Anastasia Williams ’10 is no stranger to high-achievers. As the coordinating entertainment producer on Good Morning America, she’s responsible for bringing high-profile celebrities such as Zendaya, Michael B. Jordan, Serena Williams and countless other stars onto the country’s most-watched morning TV show.

She knows talent when she sees it, which is why she turned to a young woman after one segment in March and told her with a wide smile: “Wow, girl, you’re a real go-getter!”

On this particular morning, Anastasia wasn’t in lower Manhattan producing an episode of GMA. She was in the library at Friends Academy, speaking to groups of students about her career as a talent booker and how her time at Friends helped shape her journey.

The go-getter she celebrated after her last presentation?

That would be junior Sydney Wang, who was responsible for bringing Anastasia and other alumni back to campus to participate in a speaker series that she had conceived to celebrate Women’s History Month.

“I’ve had a bunch of inspirations throughout my life,” Sydney says, “and the experiences I’ve had talking to mentors and successful women really cultivated the idea of wanting everyone to have the chance to experience that.”

Along with Anastasia, the Women’s History Month speaker series featured Lauren Jackson ’05, a television and film editor who works for The Daily Show, and sisters Maron and Maceda Alemu (Maron ’07 is the district director for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries in Brooklyn, and Maceda ’09 works on global public health initiatives). The series included video presentations from two Class of 2025 graduates Aislinn Frazer, who is on the cross-country team at West Virginia, and Sofia Maragos, who attends Barnard College and is an editor for the Columbia Science Review. And it also included a visit from NY state senator Siela A. Bynoe, who represents the 6th District in Nassau County.

Clockwise from bottom left: Maron and Maceda Alemu; Lauren Jackson addresses students and faculty; and Anastasia Williams.

“Sydney’s efforts were very action-oriented and very community-oriented,” says Ms. Ashley Quinn, an Upper School English teacher who served as a faculty advisor on the project. “This speaker series had a positive impact on so many people, and it was so inspiring to watch her flourish behind the scenes to make it happen. She was always calm and composed under pressure, even when there were a lot of moving parts and logistics to work through.”

Junior Sydney Wang

A common theme that speakers touched upon: Students might feel pressure to follow a certain path in life, but they should be open to experiencing and exploring as much as possible to define their own definitions of success and happiness.

Lauren, the editor at The Daily Show, captured the heartbeat of that advice when she told students: “I was not somebody who went the traditional route, so I’m a firm believer in forging your own path. Your parents probably have expectations for you. You probably have expectations for yourself. Try to give yourself grace and try to give yourself the time to find something that brings you joy and fuels your passion.”

Maceda shared her experiences of initially wanting to be a doctor but eventually finding her true calling in global public health. When she felt lost in the process, she found herself returning to those quiet moments of reflection that she had first experienced during worship at The Meeting House.

“I was very committed to being a doctor. I had even shadowed doctors from a young age when I volunteered at hospitals,” Maceda says. “I was on that track for two years in college, but there were signs it wasn’t for me. There was some material, like chemistry, that I couldn’t master in the way I needed to. I left no stone unturned: I exercised the discipline, the commitment, and the consistency of trying to master the work. Then I had a really great experience living abroad in Ethiopia. It made me rethink my path. Maybe I didn’t have to be a doctor to have an impact on medicine.

“As I was trying to figure all that out,” she adds, “I found myself sitting, pausing, reflecting — it was the power of the Quaker meetings and trusting how powerful those moments of silence and stepping back can be. I ended up redirecting and becoming a geography major, with a focus on international relations so I could explore my passion for medicine in global health. It was just a matter of staying curious, open, reflective, checking in with myself, and remaining receptive to whatever the universe was showing me.”

From l. to r., Mr. Andrew Geha (Arts Director), junior Sydney Wang (speaker series creator), Ms. Tammy Clark (Upper School math teacher); Lauren Jackson ’05, Ms. Sara Pozzi (Upper School Spanish teacher), Ms. Ashley Quinn (Upper School English teacher), and Ms. Camille S. Edwards (Director of Student Affairs).

The message landed with students at Friends. Says Sydney: “After Maceda talked about her experience — about how she was rigid on becoming a doctor but then found what she truly loves in global health — one of my friends told me how eye-opening that was. And that’s when I realized how impactful this speaker series really was. It was so great to hear a lot of diverse perspectives from people in different fields.”

Whatever career or life paths students might eventually find themselves on, they were encouraged by all of the speakers to be their most authentic selves — and to have the courage to put their ideas into action.

New York State Senator Siela A. Bynoe, who represents the 6th District in Nassau County, spoke to Upper Students as part of the March Women's History Month speaker series.

Anastasia, the talent booker for Good Morning America, described how being authentic can elevate careers. “The most authentic people I’ve come across in my work are the people who have been in the business for a really long time,” she told students, “and that’s a big reason why they’re still in the spotlight and so many care about them.”

Maron, who works in politics, told students: “Public service isn’t just about ideas. It’s about putting them into practice and building a coalition. If you’re upset with the way the world works, pick up a clipboard, get a petition ready, put your name on a ballot. Figure out your ideas and do something with them. Do the work, get your hands dirty, get in the arena. The only way to truly change things is through community. Start small. Start with your neighborhood; start with your school community; start with small circles, clubs, whatever it may be.”

Beyond creating and executing the speaker series, Sydney and Ms. Quinn (along with other students) did community outreach by creating care packages for mothers of infants and young children who are experiencing homelessness. The packages were donated to the nonprofit Mommas House in Glen Cove. “We wanted to do something for others because we were having a lot of things done for us and with us,” Ms. Quinn says. “It was an idea that we wanted to put into action, and it was part of the bigger vision we had for this series.”

In what ways did the speaker series change or influence its creator?

“I tend to be a shy person, but in order to get these speakers, it required a lot of outgoingness,” Sydney says. “I always thought I wanted to go into consulting someday, and I had kind of a rigid way of thinking about that. This whole experience has taught me that it’s OK to not know what you want to be and that we should try as many different things. It definitely opened my eyes.”

Photography by Alvin Caal and Matt Gagne / Friends Academy