Caroline Couch ’20 Receives Fulbright Award to Study Sustainability in the Netherlands
Caroline Couch ’20 will study the intersection between the creative sector and climate at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands.
On her daily car rides from Hernando, Mississippi to Hutchison, Caroline Couch ’20 fell in love with opera. Now, her dream is to develop the Metropolitan Opera’s first-ever formal sustainability program, where she currently works as a production assistant. She recently received a Fulbright Award to research, explore, and develop new approaches to climate sustainability through the lens of opera. She is finishing her time at New York University, and in the fall, she will move to the Netherlands to attend Radboud Universiteit and pursue a master’s degree in Arts and Culture, specializing in creative industries.
“By bridging the information asymmetry found between artistic and scientific stakeholders, I want to help create a working model of tangible sustainability practices for opera companies as the content of my master’s thesis,” Couch said.
In May, Couch will graduate from NYU with bachelor’s degrees in Public Policy and History and a minor in Chinese. In addition to working for the Metropolitan Opera, she serves as the executive director of Village Verein, a classical music chamber ensemble.
Couch also has another incredible opportunity to celebrate. She received an international scholarship from the Wagner Society of New York to attend the Bayreuth Festival, one of the world’s leading opera festivals. Before she moves to the Netherlands, she will head to Bayreuth, Germany, and learn from arts professionals during the Richard Wagner Scholarship Program in August.
The career Couch is pursuing feels like a synthesis of what she participated in during high school, she said. She was involved in civic activities including Girls Nation, Model UN, and Youth in Government, while also being heavily involved in the arts. She credits Hutchison’s opportunities for helping her throughout her journey. “Hutchison has prepared me to be confident, hold my own, and take risks,” she said. “Now I have found a sweet spot between my background in public policy and the creative arts by doing research in the realm of cultural policy and public administration for arts organizations.”
Spring is a time of traditions at Hutchison. Some, like the celebration of May Day, have been around for a century or more. And some, like the Number Five Award, are brand new.
Empathy. Discomfort. Controversy. Curiosity. Perspective. Engagement. These six words encompass a wide range of emotional and intellectual ideas. In the fall of 2020, when the Class of 2024 were freshmen, they started attending sessions to learn about civil discourse. While the world was still navigating the pandemic, it was a great time to practice how to have constructive conversations about things we agree on… and things we disagree on.
Nine Hutchison upper school girls served the Memphis community during the Church Health Youth Service Council’s inaugural year and will continue to serve on the council next school year.
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Jordan Deupree ’24 and Bailey Wiener ’24 have been recognized for their leadership in their selection for the Next Gen program, which provides students with mentorship and opportunities to learn more about the Memphis business community.
Hutchison alumna Dr. Kelly Rodney Arnold ’96 had the honor of serving as the commencement speaker for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Arts and Sciences ceremony in May 2024.
At Hutchison, Zelia Cedeño-Avila ’24 stepped out of her comfort zone to try many different things and hone in on her interest in science and math, from serving as Technology Council president to creating a robotic scarecrow for her myExperience capstone project. A lifelong learner, she will bring her knowledge and skills to Vanderbilt University, where she plans to study mechanical engineering.
Three upper school students will participate in high-intensity summer programs in subjects including emerging technologies, international studies, and computational physics.
A discovery in one science class led Izzy Ellis ’24 to delve deeper into her interest in biology and map out a path for college and beyond. Along the way, she nurtured other interests, from athletics to civics. An aspiring oncologist, her dream is to find a new, innovative treatment that could help save lives.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2024 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish, Hutchison had a total of 12 students win awards at the fair.
AP Scholar and National African American Recognition Program Scholar Lauren Coleman ’24 explored her interest in science and the environment at Hutchison. She hopes to make a difference through a career in sustainability.
J’oules Williams ’24 is a member of Memphis Parent magazine’s inaugural 10 under 20 class. The award celebrates youth who strive to make a difference in their community and change the lives of others for the better.
Adela Calzada ’24 has attended Hutchison since pre-K, and she said it allowed her to blossom into a leader who also makes Hutchison feel like home for her peers.
Our inaugural graduating class of the myExperience program presented their capstone projects with confidence, poise, and enthusiasm at our first myExperience Senior Showcase.