Town Hill Society Profile: Christina Claudio ’04
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Meet Christina Claudio ’04, who was first introduced to Hotchkiss as a Prep for Prep participant and is now a proud alumna and member of the Town Hill Society.
By Catherine Calamé
Why did you choose to attend The Hotchkiss School?
I visited Hotchkiss with the Prep for Prep program, and I vividly remember getting off the Greyhound bus from NYC and seeing the Main Circle for the first time. It was a chilly day and no one was really outside. But when we went inside the Main Building, there was an explosion of activity and warmth. I remember the feeling of things just clicking and feeling comfortable in the space. Liz Bird ’03 was my student guide for the day, and in one of her classes, someone challenged the teacher. I held my breath, thinking, “Uh oh, this kid is going to get in so much trouble!” But instead, the teacher opened up the table for debate. I couldn’t believe it! Everyone was talking, and you couldn’t hide because that table was ROUND! I chose Hotchkiss because it felt like the right place from the start.
Why did you choose to attend The Hotchkiss School?
I visited Hotchkiss with the Prep for Prep program, and I vividly remember getting off the Greyhound bus from NYC and seeing the Main Circle for the first time. It was a chilly day and no one was really outside. But when we went inside the Main Building, there was an explosion of activity and warmth. I remember the feeling of things just clicking and feeling comfortable in the space. Liz Bird ’03 was my student guide for the day, and in one of her classes, someone challenged the teacher. I held my breath, thinking, “Uh oh, this kid is going to get in so much trouble!” But instead, the teacher opened up the table for debate. I couldn’t believe it! Everyone was talking, and you couldn’t hide because that table was ROUND! I chose Hotchkiss because it felt like the right place from the start.
What did you do after graduation?
I went to Harvard for undergrad, where I took courses in a wide array of subjects—just to get as broad of an education as possible. I even took courses in Arthurian literature—as in King Arthur—and in the physics of natural disasters. It was a great way to learn to think critically across a variety of areas instead of specializing. After Harvard, I moved back to NYC to work in a three-year rotational development program at the National Football League. It was a great experience, and in fact, for my first rotation they shipped me off to London for eight months to help launch the International Series game. I learned operations, finance, and marketing. My plan had always been to go to law school afterward, but I had a manager during my second year who took a particular interest in supporting my career. He told me being a lawyer would be the biggest mistake ever! He challenged me to find a career that was more suited to my creative and often non-linear way of thinking. Because of him, I decided to go to business school. Wharton was probably some of the best two years of my life—talk about an avalanche of learning in subjects I once actively avoided in high school and college, having fun with classmates, and living in the dynamic city of Philadelphia! It was not all work and no play though. I learned how to sail and led the Wharton team at the MBA Rolex Regatta in Portofino, Italy (fun fact: Emily Siguler’s ’03 husband, Langton Mitchell, was also in our boat!). I also captained an intramural ice hockey team that won the championship my first year. After graduation I moved to Chicago to join a management consulting firm, AT Kearney. I had never lived in Chicago before, but I was ready for an adventure and figured ‘why not?’ I met my now husband there, and after a few years of crisscrossing the U.S. for consulting projects at PetSmart, Office Depot and The Chicago Tribune, we moved back to Philadelphia, and I went to work for Comcast in business development. After a few years, Verizon came calling with an opportunity to help lead their digital transformation. We moved to New Jersey, and I joined Verizon during a time of extreme change—I had four jobs in three years! One of those roles was in digital product development, and that was where I found my passion. I love solving complex problems; I like working with all kinds of people (i.e., engineers, designers, analysts, marketers, etc.); and I love days that don't look or feel the same—that is what product development is all about. After a few years at Verizon, JP Morgan Chase came calling, and I’ve been there ever since (four years). We recently moved to Delaware to make my commute easier and for a better quality of life. You can’t beat going from two hours each way, five days a week to a 10-minute drive. We love it in Wilmington!
How has Hotchkiss helped to shape your life?
Hotchkiss was where it all really started for me. It opened up a world of possibilities I hadn’t ever known existed—I tried new sports, was challenged to expand my thinking and justify my ideas, traveled abroad for the first time, made life-long friends, and had faculty that truly cared about me as a person. It was the faculty that wouldn’t ever let me off the hook with halfway thinking that I now, in retrospect, appreciate the most. Charlie Bell, Katie Bishop, Angela Janelli, Tom Fornshell, and Tom Flemma come to mind—all at one time (or multiple times) said some version of, “Come on, Claudio, you can do better than that; try again and think deeper this time!” Hotchkiss was a super supportive environment and one that helped my mind really start to flourish. I started to ask more questions of the world—why this and why that, and why not?! I would say that Hotchkiss helped me start to figure out who I really was; not who my parents wanted me to be, but who I was deep down and what I cared about. It taught me that with the right amount of drive and moxie, you can make your own path in life, rules be damned. Since Hotchkiss, I’ve held onto so many life-long friends who always make me laugh and keep me humble. It was the best four years of my youth, and I would relive it again, exactly the same way, if I had a chance!
Why have you chosen to support Hotchkiss financially through the Town Hill Society?
I found my way to Hotchkiss through Prep for Prep, an educational access program based in NYC. Both provided experiences that were foundational to my youth. They were mentally and emotionally challenging and as such spurred significant growth and confidence building. Through those challenges, I found out the depth of resilience and tenacity that I was capable of, even at such a young age. Often when I encounter a challenging period at work or home I think back to some of the challenges I overcame during that time in my life and I think, ‘Well, if I did it then then I can certainly do it now.” When I think about the legacy I want to leave behind, it’s ensuring that the institutions that were fundamental to my growth continue to provide similar experiences for other young people. I believe that our world needs more leaders who are willing to be fearless, to hold onto their moral foundations, and to question everything. Giving to the Town Hill Society is my way of ensuring that Hotchkiss continues to partake in that development of our society’s young people even after I am gone.
What would you like other alumni to know about giving back to the School?
There are so many ways to give to the causes you care about that you can start small and then focus your attention over time as you learn more. You can give your time as a volunteer, mentor, or trustee, or you can give donations to the parts of student life that you feel fondness for. I think it’s important to support one’s passions in life, and for me it was important to ensure that others get to grow up in a similarly supportive environment that allows them to find their passions. So start somewhere, and then if it feels right, keep exploring; and if it doesn’t, ask for help and try again!
What do you see as some of the most positive growth and change at the School since you graduated?
I have loved seeing Fairfield Farm come to life and the continued focus on sustainability! Making it part of student’s lives and giving them an opportunity to understand the value of making the right nutritional choices and the need to conserve natural areas is so key to shaping their future views. I have also watched with pride as Hotchkiss reckoned with its past, however painful and unsavory it was to face the truths from that time period. I am proud of the way we have ensured that those moments are not buried but looked at with clarity and an intention to be better and more accountable moving forward.
What excites you the most about Hotchkiss today and its future?
The world is changing so fast as technology accelerates at an incredible pace. I see it close up working in product and technology, and I believe that we will see more change in the next two years than we did in the last 20. The need for educational institutions that continue to teach and create supportive environments for students to learn critical thinking, judgement, resilience, and adaptability are key to the future of humankind. Machines can do a lot, but they aren’t human and they don’t have lived experience. Hotchkiss has a central role to play in creating thoughtful, morally grounded, and well-rounded future leaders of tomorrow, and I think all of the investments made to date in faculty hiring and facility improvement will set it up for continued success.
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