Brookwood alumni already touching lives

8/1/2018

Thomasville Times-Enterprise

Brookwood young alumni already touching lives

It is from a place of pride that the Brookwood School community celebrates its young alumni, who are already using their talents and expertise to impact the world. Kevin Hudson ‘10, Megan Law ‘13 and Hannah Notaro ‘12 reached out recently to share news of their accomplishments and to remember fondly the events at Brookwood that led them to success.

Kevin Hudson ‘10

Kevin Hudson ‘10 graduated from Auburn University in 2013 with a B.S. in biomedical sciences and earned his M.D. this May from Florida State University College of Medicine. He began his residency this summer in family medicine at Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, N.C., where he will spend the next three years. He is currently a Captain with U.S. Army.

“My biggest focus is to continue to learn as much as possible about both the science and the art of medicine as I begin my family medicine residency,” Hudson said. “I do have the ultimate goal of returning to the Cairo-Thomasville area to continue my medical career upon completion of my military service.”

Hudson said Brookwood taught him the importance of always finding new ways to motivate himself and to overcome challenge. “Whether it was academically or athletically, Brookwood provided an environment that allowed me to challenge myself on a regular basis while also providing the resources to succeed, regardless of the endeavor,” he said.

“Looking back across my educational career, I can say with complete certainty that I would not have been as successful had it not been for my 14 years that I spent at Brookwood,” Hudson said. “My time spent there not only made for a seamless transition to college but also instilled a certain drive and expectation of academic rigor that have benefited me tremendously.”

Megan Law ‘13

A 2017 graduate of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa., Megan Law ‘13 discovered her passion for science and medicine while studying dance there. Soon thereafter, she moved to Atlanta to work in a plasma lab and then took time off to study for the MCAT. “That was a full-time job in itself,” she said.

Law currently works as a research specialist at Emory University, collecting data about narcolepsy and epilepsy at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She plans to matriculate into medical school in the summer of 2019.

She said the most important lesson she learned at Brookwood was to push through personal struggles. “You can’t sit idly, because then you’re moving backwards,” she said. “I’m happy looking back that my teachers were pushing me. Now it’s my responsibility to push myself.”

Law now describes herself as strong, independent and relentless. “My fiancé always tells me I’m a bulldog,” she laughed.

“As you’re going to college and entering into the working world, do not be closed minded to new experiences,” she advised. “There are so many lessons to learn. Personally, the most important and the most effective method is failure. I’ve failed many times at multiple things, but I got back up and tried again. Do not give up if you fail a time or two. Just change your strategy and try harder.”

Hannah Notaro ‘12

Upon graduating from the University of Alabama with a master’s degree in sports business administration, Hannah Notaro ‘12 took a position in the athletics department development office at the University of Tennessee, where she raises funds for scholarships and endowments that are given to student athletes.

Notaro said she has always been interested in fundraising — especially for student athletes, as she once was. “If you benefit the student athlete, you’re benefiting not only the school, but you’re driving kids to come to school,” she said. Fundraising is also a good stepping stone if you want to get into administration, which she said interests her for her future.

Indeed, Notaro’s father — who served as Brookwood’s headmaster while she and her sister went to school there — had something of an influence in her career choice, she said. “My dad was heavily involved with athletics when I was young. My Saturdays were spent on the baseball field with him, listening to the Eagles while he was mowing, getting ready for double headers and tournaments” as a coach, she said.

Being involved with school sports and other school-related events was a shared passion — “It’s what we enjoyed doing as a family,” she said. “Playing and participating in those activities was a good bonding experience for us.” Notaro played tennis and basketball while at Brookwood.

Of her days at Brookwood, Notaro said despite its smaller environment, the school does a great job of teaching its students to celebrate themselves, with all their uniquenesses. “I think I can speak for my whole friend group in that we were never afraid to be who we are — that we were constantly supported by our teachers, no matter what we believed in and no matter what we wanted to do with our lives,” she said. “That really makes Brookwood stand out. It’s a special place.”

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