Veterans Day Panel

Lindsay Trout P '29 (top center) moderated a Zoom panel discussion of Bay Area veterans for the 8th grade, including Carrie Soyland Ask, Derek Bennett, Soderia Kakoulakis, and Jeff Marshall.

During Community Time on Tuesday, the 8th grade participated in a Zoom panel discussion with Bay Area veterans, learning about leadership and service inside and outside of the military. 

Parent Lindsay Trout worked with Head of Middle School Laura Zappas to organize this special event and moderated the discussion, always keeping the conversation focused on the mission of Castilleja and the perspective of the 8th grade audience. With our motto Women Learning, Women Leading, we believe that leadership is a dynamic mindset rather than a static role, and the guests on the panel reinforced this view. The guests on the panel—Carrie Soyland Ask, Derek Bennett, Soderia Kakoulakis, and Jeff Marshall—all shared that they learned to lead by stepping into new roles, and they outlined specific ways that they built their capacity as leaders over time. 

With two women on the panel, students were especially eager to hear about their experiences in what has historically been a male-dominated world. As they listened to generational differences between the experiences of the two speakers, students were able to gauge that women are gaining ground in the military, and they were encouraged to see that this is a realm where there are more possibilities to lead than they might have expected.  

All of the veterans emphasized the value of mentorship. They explained that the people around you can help you develop the courage to lead.  Soderia Kakoulakis explained that mentorship among women was especially valuable and can be very specific. For example, another woman helped her learn how to adjust her pack to fit better because that woman had already solved that problem herself. 

Perhaps most importantly, the speakers gave examples of how leadership skills that they learned in the military stayed with them throughout their lives and proved valuable as they moved into new careers in tech and industry roles. Our 8th grade students could begin to see this possibility in their own lives, understanding that the skills that they are practicing now as the leaders of the Middle School will continue to be helpful even as they begin to think about venturing into the world of Upper School.