Hugh McGlade '10 Receives Fulbright
With all papers submitted and final exams behind him, Hugh McGlade ’10 is enjoying a little quiet time in Atlanta before his May 8 graduation from Emory University.
Hugh will spend the summer and fall months capturing oral histories of Groton School alumni (his other alma mater) before heading off to Brazil in January 2018 to begin his graduate school course of study through a grant from the U.S. State Department's Fulbright program.
The grant provides funding for one year of academic study and research, and McGlade will live in Rio de Janeiro and enroll at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He will expand his research on U.S.-Brazilian hunger alleviation programs in the 1940s, a subject he previously studied in his honors thesis.
Upon reflection of his four years as an undergraduate, Hugh is quick to point out that his 11 years at NCCS were fundamental to his formation as a person. For Hugh, Country School promoted curiosity, communication and encouraged students to follow their passions, “I feel so fortunate that my youth was filled with adults who believed that curiosity about the world was paramount to a rich and meaningful life.”
Many teachers throughout his time at Country School encouraged Hugh to ask questions and articulate his ideas, “Liz Pepe introduced me to the power of language as a vehicle through which to explore people, places and culture.” Since taking Pepe’s Upper School Spanish classes, Hugh has taken five additional years of Spanish and three years of Portuguese.
Sue Friborg, Bart Fredo and Tom Giggi all brought history to life for this history major. “Every time I write a paper, I think back to Sue Friborg’s grammar lessons. Every time I read a newspaper, I remember Bart Fredo’s emphasis of the importance of current events—and on the importance of historicizing those events to put them in context. And, of course, living in Atlanta, Georgia, Tom Gigi’s lessons on Civil Rights prove helpful as I go about my life in the American South.”
His long-term plan is still up the air. Hugh is torn between the pursuit of an academic life or life in the business/public policy arena. He has a position waiting for him at a top management consulting firm upon his return to Atlanta, but Hugh has a hunch that, “sooner or later, I will return to classrooms, books and essay writing—either as an educator or a graduate student.”
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
