Theme: Familiar Faces

We all have a great deal to learn from one another and from the familiar faces around us. In what ways can each of us learn new things, hear new stories, understand more from the familiar faces in our community and beyond! How do the familiar faces around us work to make our community and world more equitable, diverse, and inclusive? How have familiar faces around us helped to raise awareness about a variety of global issues? How have the familiar faces around us helped us face challenges? What can the familiar faces around us teach us about identifying problems around? How can the familiar faces around lead us to think in a different way, be innovative and create solutions to make the world a better place?

Santa Catalina School
1500 Mark Thomas Drive
Monterey, California, 93940
United States

Aaron Golub

First legally blind player in NCAA history

Aaron Golub is an entrepreneur and speaker. Aaron became the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division 1 game when he was at Tulane University. He was a captain in his senior year and went on to also become an NFL free agent. Aaron never let his limited vision get in the way of his success. Aaron’s grit, determination, and effort enabled him to earn a spot on the Tulane team, and the respect of his teammates, coaches, and fans. Aaron began playing football in seventh grade and worked extremely hard to get where he is today. His goal is to show others that it doesn’t matter what they are fighting or what their perceived limitations are; anything is achievable with hard work and tuning out the judgment of others. His planning, passion, and perseverance enable him to be successful. Aaron has paved the way for others with disabilities and shown that the impossible is possible

Heidi Hansch

Student

Heidi Hansch, a student at Santa Catalina School, is an active member of her school community. Besides being a gifted athlete and student, Heidi is head of our student newspaper, Lamplighter, and a flutist in our Chamber Ensemble. Heidi’s quiet confidence and dedication to her academics continue to serve her well; she was recently recognized as a National Merit Finalist. In her thought-provoking talk, “Persistence Makes us Whole,” Heidi, a self-declared introvert, shares her perspective on how perseverance has fueled her drive to push beyond her insecurities, face and embrace the unfamiliar. She encourages others to do the same in order to grow and thrive.

Indu Navar

CEO, Everything ALS non-profit (ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease)

Indu Navar has served as CEO, Founder, Board Member, and Investor of software companies. Indu has served as Managing Director at Woodside Capital Partners where she advised software companies on strategic financing transactions and M&A and was founder and CEO of Serus Corporation, provider of SAAS platform for companies with outsourced manufacturing. Currently, Indu is an investor and board member of several technology companies. In 2019, after losing her husband to a neurological disease called ALS, she formed the Peter Cohen Foundation, a 501(3) non-profit organization functioning as EverythingALS.org. Its mission is to bring researchers, providers, patients, patients' biomarkers, and data science together for early diagnosis and treatments of neurological diseases. Indu will share her story of being a woman in the high technology field, and how difficult it is for people suffering from any rare disease to get the treatment they need.

Nicole Muñoz

Founder, PositiveI

Nicole Munoz, a student at Santa Catalina, is dedicated to fostering and promoting acceptance and understanding of each person’s identity, both at the local level and the global level. After taking part in a life-changing virtual exchange program with peers in the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa), and pursuing a variety of virtual leadership experiences, Nicole has created a new organization Positive I, which aims to provide a space where youth can work together towards creating a world marked by understanding, respect, and acceptance.

Victoria Gorum

Racial justice through education

Victoria Gorum graduated class of 2019 and is currently a sophomore at Stanford University. She is working to double major in Sociology and Economics, with a focus on Race, Gender, Immigration, Identity, and Policy. Victoria is passionate about racial justice and equity, and channels some of that passion into her work as the Chief Director of Project Management and Research for the Diversify Our Narrative Campaign, a non-profit organization that aims to increase BIPOC representation in high school curriculums. Some of her current projects include developing an intern program at DON, researching the effects of white supremacy in health, and interviewing BIPOC book authors.