Jacob Soboroff Speaks with Students

In an extraordinary All-School meeting on February 9, NBC journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jacob Soboroff spent time with the Brewster community via Zoom. Before introducing her brother, Brewster lifer Leah Soboroff ’12, shared advice with current Bobcats from an alumni perspective. “All the opportunities, mentors, and friendships I made at Brewster have not only been transformative, but have taken me throughout my life,” she said, adding, “Brewster gives you the tools and sets you up for success to dominate and shine in life.” Then, introducing the day’s speaker as her “oldest, but not tallest” sibling, Leah handed the video over to Jacob. 

Before discussing his book Separated: Inside an American Tragedy, which has been called the seminal book on the child separation policy at America’s southern border, the elder Soboroff shared incredibly personal anecdotes about how failure and the freedom to not have a life plan set in stone have led to his current success. Head of School Craig Gemmell asked Soboroff to share his insights on what it means to live a life of purpose, referring to Brewster’s mission statement. Viewers saw the pair exchange meaningful commentary on what it means to be fueled by purposefulness, relating much of the discussion back to Brewster students and the improvisational nature of the paths they may take in their futures. 

Then, event organizer Kris Light of Brewster’s Advancement team, introduced the panel of students who read Soboroff’s book over break, giving them a chance to interview the interviewer. Morgan Johnson '22, Alyson Nagorniak '22, Lila Glanville '22, Gracie Mouradian '24, and (by proxy) Chris Webb '21 asked Soboroff questions about his process, how to prevent child separation crises in the future, how he handled the trauma he was reporting on in real time, and much more. 

We encourage everyone who was not in attendance at this eye-opening All-School meeting to watch the video below. And be sure to let us know your thoughts by emailing us at communications@brewsteracademy.org.