Alumni Talks - What are they?

The Vintage High School Alumni Association is proud to partner with Napa County Office of Education to bring "Alumni Talks" to the current students at Vintage High. The program helps to enlighten and educate students on the variety of careers in our community and brings them a more personal understanding of individuals who have quite literally sat in the same desks. It makes the idea of a future career more relevant and relateable. Several times a year, Alum of VHS share about their careers, educational path, how Vintage prepared them for their journey, and give advice they wish they had received when starting out.

This is an opportunity for our Alum to give back to the school community. These talks take place during the students' RTI period, which is on Wednesday and Thursday between 9:40 am - 10:45 am. We are excited to announce the upcoming 2018 Spring Semester Alumni Talks speakers: Arik Housley (entrepreneur), Staci Gregory (Lieutenant, Sausalito PD), Derek Moore (writer/journalist), Kathleen Phillips (CFO-Zillow Group), Elizabeth Simenstad (tug boat deck hand), Keith Rodes (veterinarian), Areli Hernandez (Fulbright Scholar)

Do you have a career that you think students may be interested in learning about? Could sharing your story make a difference in a young life? We want to hear from you! Please contact us to learn more! And if you know of someone who might enjoy participating in a talk, let us know! Email us at crushers@vintagealumni.org

Kirsten Shinnamon Baker is an architect at Signum Architecture, designing custom homes and wineries in the Napa Valley. She loves working with an awesome team of designers and consultants, and her favorite part of the job is seeing the building take shape in the field. Before joining Signum, Kirsten worked in the New York and San Francisco offices of SOM, a large multi-disciplinary firm. She was raised in the Napa Valley where her family roots run deep and her enthusiasm for the locale is expressed in community service. Kirsten serves on the board of directors for Leadership Napa Valley, from which she graduated in 2015.

Kirsten graduated from Vintage High School in 2002. She completed her undergraduate studies at Scripps College and attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, where she earned a Master of Architecture.