Alexis Parent ’24 will attend the United States Naval Academy. She plans to study operations research, the discipline of applying mathematical methods to study and analyze complex decisions.
Serving in the military is important to Alexis because her father served in the Air Force for over 20 years.
Alexis came to Hutchison in fourth grade, and she distinguished herself as a strong athlete, servant leader, and mentor to other students through her involvement in a variety of activities.
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With Help from Hutchison, Alexis Parent ’24 Will Achieve Her Naval Academy Dreams
For a long time, Alexis Parent ’24 had a big goal in mind: to get into the United States Naval Academy. Hutchison helped make it happen.
When Alexis Parent ’24 was pulled out of Chinese class one morning, she wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was told that U.S. House Rep. David Kustoff wanted to speak to her. It turned out to be one of the happiest moments of her life as he shared that Alexis had been accepted into the United States Naval Academy.
There was jumping. There were shouts of excitement. There were plenty of tears from Alexis, her parents, and the upper school faculty and staff present. This had been Alexis’ goal for a long time. It was one of the first things she said in her initial meeting with her college counselor Lauren Colpitts, and with help from Hutchison, Alexis made it happen.
“Hutchison bent over backward to help me get to my goal,” she said. “I put in the work and did what I needed to do with the help of everyone here.”
For example, Alexis needed to fit physics and AP Calculus into her senior year schedule. Hutchison’s college counseling team figured out how to make it happen, and her teachers have helped her stay on track through the challenging coursework. Hutchison’s college counselors also prepared her for her admissions interview by researching potential questions and helping her target her answers.
Alexis experienced a taste of academic, athletic, and military training that Naval Academy midshipmen complete when she attended the Naval Academy Summer Seminar in 2023.
Achieving her goal was even sweeter because of her personal connection to the military: Alexis’ father served in the Air Force for over 20 years. “It has always been something that is important to me,” she said. “I have always had such a sense of pride in him, and that’s something I can’t wait to reflect in the future.”
Alexis came to Hutchison in fourth grade, and she distinguished herself as a strong athlete, servant leader, and mentor to other students through her involvement in a variety of activities. She was team captain for the varsity lacrosse team during the spring season, and playing the sport over the years had a large influence on her. “I’ve learned how far I can push myself and how to overcome challenges, and that’s something I’m definitely going to take with me to college,” she said.
Alexis was selected for the Tennessee Girls Lacrosse Association All-State Team after the spring season, and she was named a USA Lacrosse All-American in 2023, which recognizes players who exhibit “superior skills and techniques and possess exceptional game sense and knowledge.”
This spring, Alexis received the Dr. Annette C. Smith Community Award, which recognizes a student who is passionate about her community and engages actively in the world around her. As a member of the Wilson Society, she worked with students at Binghampton Christian Academy. Her project, Angels for Amsey, was inspired by Amsey Liebenow, a St. Mary’s Episcopal School student who tragically passed away in 2021. Along with several other Hutchison girls, Alexis volunteered to help Binghampton Christian Academy students with whatever they needed and inspire them to live positively as Amsey did. One day, they watched High School Musical and talked about togetherness, which Alexis learned a lot about at Hutchison.
“The most important thing I’ve learned at Hutchison is to rely on the people that I surround myself with. Hutchison does a great job of providing you with people that have great foundations in their life and people that I just love being around,” she said. “At times when things are harder or I’m stressed, I can go to them and they’re there for me. They’re always there for me in any way I need them to be. It can be teachers. It can be students. It can be anybody.”
At the Naval Academy, she is looking forward to learning more about herself and figuring out what her role within the military is going to be. She plans to study operations research, the discipline of applying mathematical methods to study and analyze complex decisions. She also is interested in serving in the Navy as a pilot flying F-22s or as a surface warfare officer.
“Service, to me, is giving back to everyone. I can’t wait to give back to the community that I’ve built here in a way that is very special and unique. Service also is protecting the people I love. I love everyone in the Hutchison community and Memphis. Being able to do something that protects them and attempts to make the world a better place for them is amazing to me,” she said.
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.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Shelton Wittenberg ’14, an associate attorney at Baker Donelson who also coaches Hutchison middle school lacrosse.
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.