On Mar. 6, Leadership hosted alumni speakers in classrooms across campus as part of its annual Avenue of the Giants program.

Throughout fifth, sixth and seventh periods, past graduates visited classes to speak about their careers and professional experience. Speakers represented a wide range of fields, including journalism, creative arts and aerospace engineering.

One of the speakers, Mark Fainaru-Wada, discussed his experience in journalism and his career after graduating.

“I learned how to be persistent [at Redwood], and how to talk to people. Maybe I wouldn’t have learned that otherwise,” Fainaru-Wada said. “The Bark changed everything for me — and I owe so much of my career to it.”

Another alumna involved in the event was Marilee Rogers, who returned to Redwood for the organization of the Avenue of the Giants after graduating with the class of 1961. Rogers later came back to Redwood to teach social studies, art history and basic design.

“It’s a group of people that are here doing amazing things, and it’s wonderful to have the opportunity for them to share their story with Redwood students,” Rogers said.

Rogers’s graduation in 1961 was just three years after Redwood opened. Having coordinated the program for years, she has seen both the event and the school evolve over time.

“I coordinated this event with Melissa Boles, who is also an alumnus and was one of my students back in the ‘90s,” Rogers said.

Leadership students also spoke about their experience with welcoming alumni and helping coordinate the event.

“[The event] is really eye-opening. It allows students to get an understanding of what other alumni and teachers have done with their careers,” junior Saif Faghihy said.

Another speaker was Scott Evans from the class of 1986. Evans now works at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), managing a team that develops software used to navigate spacecraft.

Evans said his education during high school played a major role in preparing him for his career and sparking interest in his field from his old teachers.

“The amount of math and physics that I learned at Redwood that I still use on a daily basis at NASA is kind of staggering,” Evans said. “But it’s more of the inspiration I got from the teachers, who I remember to this day.”

Evans recalled that a difficult math class during his junior year helped shape his confidence in pursuing science.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to get through it. It was a huge challenge,” Evans said. “All of a sudden, not only did I succeed, but I really loved it, and that’s when I knew I probably could do this business.”

After graduating, Evans studied physics at Stanford before eventually finding his way to astrophysics and spacecraft work. A summer opportunity working with a professor building spacecraft helped lead him toward the field that would define his career.

Now at JPL, Evans manages a group that maintains navigation because it allows him to contribute to long-term exploration.

“It’s a lot of satisfaction that some of the math and physics I learned could be flying human beings to the moon. It’s all encoded now in software, so I’ll have a legacy,” Evans said.

Evans returned to Redwood to participate in the Avenue of the Giants in hopes of inspiring students to pursue their ambitions.

When reflecting on the commonalities between Redwood Alumni, Evans noted that a passion for discovery was an underlying factor.

“The common trait is curiosity — an insatiable curiosity,” Evans said. “For me, it’s about space flight and science, but for other people, it’s different. The curiosity remains the same.”