David Wright, class of 1987, was unfocused in high school, but had fun with great friends like Dan Zoll and Greg Coutinho. His grades were decent, but he was unclear about his plans after high school. He followed his sister Kiki to Northeastern University, and then to Colorado State University. Still unsure of his path, he moved to Berkeley, Calif. There he worked at the renowned restaurant Chez Panisse. Eventually, Wright finished his undergraduate degree in comparative literature at UMass Amherst, where he met his future wife, Carolyn.
Both of them sought adventure, and moved to Portugal, becoming fluent in Portuguese and teaching English as a second language. In 2000, they moved to Boston and secured administrative positions at Harvard University. David worked in faculty affairs in the economics department until 2017, when he moved to MIT to work with the provost for international activities. This move provided him the opportunity to travel to the MIT/China Summit in Beijing. Realizing how much he missed working in academic departments, he moved to the department of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, where he works on faculty promotions and hiring. David and Carolyn now live in Belmont, and their daughter, Charlotte, is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy.
David’s work combines his love of learning and travel, and uses his creative energy — the same characteristics he had back at MVRHS; they just needed to grow!
Thank you, David, for sharing your story, which many students who may not necessarily have a clear goal at graduation can relate to. Yes, they too can succeed, if they pursue their interests and ideas, and never let themselves be afraid to be adventurers!
Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net. This column appears twice a month.
