![Photo of alumni speaker Yolanda Berry]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1716597840/midpencom/wgtgpwdnguwo5nb2y4ur/YolandaBerryPhoto.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1716597840/midpencom/wgtgpwdnguwo5nb2y4ur/YolandaBerryPhoto.jpg","width":500}])
“Growing up in a house filled with smart and prolific readers, I felt both dumb and lazy because I didn’t read.”
Alumni Profiles
The paths after Mid-Pen are as varied as our alums themselves.
Life after Mid-Pen can be both exciting and challenging, and is rarely a "one-size-fits-all" proposition for Mid-Pen grads. While most alums go straight to four-year colleges, many pursue alternative paths, whether taking a gap year, attending community college, doing internships, or even going straight to work.
![Mike Miller '91 standing on his porch with palm tree in background]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1691712616/midpencom/iulko5emauob3xlcargc/MikeMiller.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1691712616/midpencom/iulko5emauob3xlcargc/MikeMiller.jpg","width":400}])
"If it weren’t for Kurt, I don’t know where I would be today."
![Erin Whittaker '93]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1677094740/midpencom/ge2chnwbl7duruvoos1t/ErinWhittaker.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1677094740/midpencom/ge2chnwbl7duruvoos1t/ErinWhittaker.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1677094740/midpencom/ge2chnwbl7duruvoos1t/ErinWhittaker.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1677094740/midpencom/ge2chnwbl7duruvoos1t/ErinWhittaker.png","width":904}])
"I appreciate that Mid-Pen allowed me to learn the way I needed to learn."
![Hana Dvorak ’17]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1608668986/midpencom/npesnemww96jbijaiwdz/HanaDvorakArtwork.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1608668986/midpencom/npesnemww96jbijaiwdz/HanaDvorakArtwork.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1608668986/midpencom/npesnemww96jbijaiwdz/HanaDvorakArtwork.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1608668986/midpencom/npesnemww96jbijaiwdz/HanaDvorakArtwork.jpg","width":1200}])
For artist Hana Dvorak ’17, art shouldn’t be complicated, difficult to understand, or require a detailed artist’s statement to appreciate.
![Mike Miller '91 standing on his porch with palm tree in background]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1597191551/midpencom/mg8k7njsdfeyvquovf6i/Maya.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1597191551/midpencom/mg8k7njsdfeyvquovf6i/Maya.png","width":294}])
“I had a leap of faith on my own and I struggled for a long time, and I made it work. I’m thankful and lucky for everyone I had around me.”
![Elina Smith-Leitch '15]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1597191973/midpencom/n8rnbcgywgqbjcuhndwx/Elena.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1597191973/midpencom/n8rnbcgywgqbjcuhndwx/Elena.png","width":285}])
“If you are passionate enough about it you should pursue it."
