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Alumni Spotlight: Daniel Kallen '11


Where have you been since graduation? Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? 

After Sierra, I went to college at Boston University, where I studied economics. I wanted to go to a big school in an environment totally opposite to what I was used to, so it was a great choice for me. I chose to study economics, because I found it to be a fascinating way to think about how the world works and why some things are the way they are. After college, I took a full-time role with Liberty Mutual in Boston, joining the analyst development program. Throughout college, I realized I really enjoyed analytically solving problems, working with data, and always learning something new. This ended up being a great role for me, because I learned how to solve problems at a huge company, and I gained experience in a number of different business functions (marketing, product management, operations, sales, etc.). I always wanted to go back to school, and while I enjoyed my job, after working for a couple of years, I decided it was time. Last year I moved to Hanover, New Hampshire, where I am currently working on getting my MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. This past summer, I interned for a management consulting firm specializing in technology, media, and telecommunications. I found the work fascinating because of the high-level problem solving involved and the sheer scale of the physical infrastructure behind the internet. I think ten years is too long a time to make a serious life plan (2020 being a testament to why), but for the next few years, I will be working as a management consultant. I am thinking about eventually transitioning to work in strategy/operations for a tech or media company, but time will tell!

When did you first come to Sierra Canyon?  What was your experience like?  Are there any courses, teachers, or activities that had a great impact on you?

I’m one of the few people who grew up at Sierra Canyon. I first came to the school in kindergarten and continued all the way through high school. The high school was very new at the time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some things are different now than they were then. My first year of high school was spent in a temporary building. We didn’t move to the current location until my sophomore year, and there wasn’t a gym, field, or much else besides the main building at the time  I’m not sure who is still part of the faculty, but my favorite teachers throughout high school were Jamie Winetrobe, Tom Fennell, and Yarrott Benz. These are all teachers who I felt were vested in my and my classmates’ interests as people, not just as passing students in a classroom. Outside of the classroom, I played on the soccer team. We were awful, but it was a good time, and I became very close with several of my classmates through that experience.

Do you keep in touch with any SC people, classmates, mentors, or faculty? 

I keep in touch with a handful of people from my class, and the two classes above mine (’09 and ’10). Sierra is a small school, so these are people who I knew intimately while growing up. I think it is important to put effort into keeping in touch with your friends from high school, especially as you get older and lose connection.

Please feel free to include any other information or facts about your life that you might think interesting.

I’m really passionate about all genres of music (live shows, playing guitar and bass, collecting records, etc.), cooking, and the outdoors (primarily hiking/backpacking).
 
Lower School: 11052 Independence Avenue
Middle and Upper School: 20801 Rinaldi Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311  | 818.882.8121
Sierra Canyon School is a private, independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory school for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12 located in Chatsworth, California. The highly cosmopolitan campus community is reflective of the Greater Los Angeles area and the world at large. Students are empowered to realize their greatest creative, ethical, intellectual and physical promise through small class sizes, a diverse student-teacher culture and a family-like environment.