Convocation a Night to Remember
The class of 2011 and their families will long remember their Convocation, when they gathered in USN’s historic auditorium—almost the last time they will sit together as a class—to hear this year’s PDS/USN Distinguished Alumnus share some of what he has learned since he was in their place.
See photos of Convocation.
See photos of Convocation.
Gideon Yu has accomplished many things since he graduated from USN in 1989. He earned an engineering degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as Chief Financial Officer for both Facebook and YouTube, negotiating business deals with mind boggling price tags. Business Insider described him as “the guy who crafted the biggest deal in the Web 2.0 era, selling YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion.”
And Gideon attributes his success to his high school math teacher, Debbie Davies, who retires from USN this year. At Senior Convocation last week, Gideon said, “If I were to be completely honest about Ms. Davies, outside of my mother and father no single person has made this much of an impact on my life. Nobody’s even close.”
Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a check which he presented to the school to establish the Debbie Davies Endowed Chair for Excellence in Teaching. It was a dramatic moment, and it answered the question posed by every teacher who has spent long after-school hours helping a student. Yes, such efforts make a difference.
Debbie Davies says, “While Gideon is gracious in his praise of me, the real credit goes to Gideon. He was a wonderful student to work with - hard-working, energetic, funny, appreciative and very kind.”
When Gideon Yu agreed to come to Nashville as USN’s 2011 Distinguished Alumnus, he stipulated two conditions. He would honor Debbie Davies, and he would find a way to speak to the students that broke the Convocation lecture mold. So the seniors sat in the front rows near him and asked him questions.
He talked to them about self-acceptance, excellence, and facing challenges. When they go to college, he said, their greatest challenges are "not going to be academic because what you’ll find is that University School is much harder than any school you’ll go to. It is actually the growing up part…getting comfortable in my own skin was probably the best thing I got out of education."
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Back-to-school Popsicle Party canceled
Mother Nature is not cooperating for our annual Popsicle Party. Depending on which weather app you use, actual and feels-like temperatures are 98 to 101 and higher. Under these conditions, we would limit student activities, so, in the interest of everyone's health and well-being, we are going to cancel our gathering at the River Campus. There is just not enough shade and certainly no air conditioning to bring relief to hundreds of USN families. Thank you for understanding. We look forward to seeing you in a few days for the start of our new school year.Read More -
TAP boosts arts at USN
The booster club Tiger Arts Patrons contributes additional funding to visual and performing arts at University School of Nashville while providing supporters with free admission to most music, dance, and theater performances. Register for annual TAP membership here for $100.Read More -
'The Lion King JR.' returns to USN August 19-22
Be sure to read the division publications on Friday, August 14 for the ticket link to a roaring show marking Theater Director Bakari King's 20th year behind the curtain at USN.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.