Alumna Profile: Alison Shea
 
Graduated from The Gilbert School in 2007 - Salutatorian and Class President
Educational background after Gilbert: Salve Regina University, Bachelor of Arts in Biology/Biological Sciences, Neuroscience, 2011. New England Law in Boston, Doctor of Law (J.D.), Intellectual Property Law, 2018.
Career: Editor in Chief for New England Law Review 2017 to 2018, Judicial Law Clerk for New Hampshire Superior Court 2018 to 2019, Compliance Manager for MCR Labs 2019 to 2020, Private Practice General Law Attorney 2018 to present.
 
What do you remember the most about your time at Gilbert?:  “What I remember the most is the sense of community and how everyone knew each other. There were so many opportunities to participate in what Gilbert has to offer. Both Gilbert and Winsted are pretty unique because of the size of the population. I feel like both in Gilbert and Winsted there is a lot of encouragement and support for participating and contributing, both civically and in the community. They both compliment each other by cultivating an environment where everybody helped each other out. People came together in times of need and celebration. That is where I think the magic is.”
 
Who were your favorite teachers and classes?: “Deb Lewis who was my English teacher during my freshman year. We had period eight English and I will never forget it. It was arguably my favorite class that I have taken my whole life. I had her for three out of my four years. The thing about Deb that makes her so special to me was the way she identified my love for language and passion for advocacy. She cultivated them and she did not try to direct me any other way. She instead helped me develop those interests and passions. To me, it’s something that every teacher should do, but she went above and beyond. She would hammer home that it was quality, not quantity, that is important. I attribute my love of writing to her.
 
Another person who always will stand out to me is School Nurse Kelli-Ann Gilbert. I think my first day at Gilbert was her first day. I created a connection and friendship with her that I don’t think is unique because she creates the same connection with all of the students.
 
What I attribute to her is building in me the love for community and contributing to it. Also, how to care about people. Everyone is born with the capacity to care about people, but she will show you how to put that into action. If you care about someone you should always make sure they have a safe space, or always have food, or make sure that they have medicine. Both Deb and Kelli-Ann are the two people most pivotal to my Gilbert experience and a big part of my life.”
 
Any good memories from your time at Gilbert?: “One of my favorite memories is Chemistry class where Mr. Schroeder taught us The Mole Song. I still celebrate Mole Day.
 
When I was in American Studies class we took a lot of great field trips. We went to Ellis Island and Gettysburg. It was fantastic.
 
We loved to do the Homecoming Waltz. The thing about the Homecoming Waltz was that there was a time where the whole class would come together to celebrate Homecoming Week. That was probably one of the best times to be at Gilbert because every day there was something fun going on. There was a sense of comradery and competition that came out of it. During that week you would see people from all different walks of life at Gilbert who normally wouldn’t interact with each other.”
 
What advice would you give to current students? “My advice is that you get out of it what you put into it. Gilbert is a place where you can do anything and try anything. You can learn anything that you want to learn and find avenues to do it, you just have to ask. There are so many caring teachers there. I have never seen any faculty members not go above and beyond for their students. That level of care and attention is so unique to Gilbert. I am so grateful that I went to The Gilbert School.”