The winter 2021 innovation issue of the Moravian Academy Journal is now available.
Dear reader,
Innovators look at the world with attentive purpose. They don't profess to have all the answers. In fact, they seem to be constantly asking questions. Their curiosity simply cannot be contained. If you have ever peered into a classroom at Moravian Academy, chances are, you have seen an innovator quietly at work.
Innovation, or "looking at old problems in new ways" as Bill Soulis '54P describes it (pg. 36), takes many forms. For Soulis, it's collaborative. It involves learning from others and diversifying your perspective. Eric Michaelis '10, CEO and founder of his start-up NEUO, would agree; he even brought fellow Moravian alumna Myria Zambas '16 on board for her valuable insight as he worked to get his ascending start-up off the ground (pg. 10).
Often, innovators are change-makers, like Claudia Hernandez '21 — an award-winning computer programmer and developer of an analytics tool for NASA — who is most proud to be forging a path for girls to follow — especially those from underrepresented communities — to close the gender gap in STEM fields (pg. 4). Rohan Mehta '23 and Yan Yu '23, named Conrad Innovators, invented a social network for senior citizens to find connections in this time of isolation (pg. 18). Inspired by her time as a teacher, it's important to educational game developer Elana Blinder '94 that the process of innovation is inclusive, a theme that motivates her work and studies (pg. 20).
When Countess Benigna von Zinzendorf believed that women deserved an education 279 years ago, she with the help of her community founded the first school for girls in the American colonies, a school that grew into today's Moravian Academy. Here, innovation isn't just what we do. It's who we are. It's who we've been from the beginning.
When innovation calls to you, when you see a problem that needs solving or have an idea worth bringing to life, we hope the stories in this issue of the Journal inspire you to take action. We can't wait to see what you accomplish next.
Happy reading,
Stephanie Vasta
Director of Marketing & Communications
Julia Fox
Associate Director of Communications
If you have any questions regarding the Journal, please direct them to Julia Fox.