Chris O’Brian, Class of 2013
Meet alumnus Chris O’Brian! Chris graduated from PMONTS in 2013 and earned a perfect score on his math SAT. Let’s hear more about what he’s been up to…
What are you doing right now?
It’s been about seven years since I graduated from Princeton Montessori School. Since then, I boarded at Solebury for high school and am almost finished with my B.A. at Cornell University. I’m currently a senior Computer Science major in the College of Engineering and planning to graduate early this December. I’m super excited to share that I just accepted a full-time Software Engineering position with Lutron Electronics!
How did your PMONTS education prepare you for success?
The biggest takeaway was the encouragement. Students were always encouraged to get their hands on whatever they really wanted to learn. I found that I developed a good sense of self-motivation as well. This quality has definitely stuck with me and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.
I thought middle school at PMONTS did a great job of preparing me academically for high school. Entering 9th grade, I was surprised at how far ahead I was relative to my Solebury peers. I give a lot of credit to my 8th grade math teacher at PMONTS, who inspired my study of STEM subjects. I think my education at Princeton Montessori gave me a boost that helped me get into Cornell.
How did PMONTS contribute to the person you are today?
Montessori provided an environment where students were encouraged to be who they are. I think that was an important message and a huge contribution to who I am today as a person.
I also think that the “hands-on” component of a Montessori education has stuck with me. Engineering is a very “hands-on” profession, and some of my favorite things to do in my free time include building things, woodworking, and working on my car.
For alumni updates email ksullivan@princetonmontessori.org
