California Famous Private School Alumni

Use the table below to browse notable alumni from private schools around the United States.

Private School Alumni Directory:

Famous Private School Alumni (California):

School Name
Notable School Alumni (Sample)
  • Brita Sigourney - Two time olympian- bronze medalist in the 2018 winter Olympics (women's ski halfpipe)
  • Angelique Cabral - Actress best known for Life in Pieces and as the voice of Queen Amaya in Disney's Wish
  • Tucker Ricchio '04 - Chef and 2023 Season 1 winner of Next Level Chef (Ramsey)
  • Deena Shakir '00 - Lux Capital (VC) partner, lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Top 30 under 40 in Healthcare (Business Insider), Top 9 Women to Watch in Venture Capital (Wall Street Journal), Alumna of both Harvard and Georgetown. Learn more at Deenashakir.com
  • Hunter McKown '15 - US Team Hockey, signed with the NHL's club Columbus Blue Jackets in March 2023.
  • Matt Hunt '12 - (2022) Indianapolis 500 Car Race, (2021) IndyCar championship with Chip Ganassi Racing
  • Phillip Bennett - Geology Professor, Univ. of Texas, Austin
  • Benjamin Brandzel - MoveOn.org Student Action Founder
  • Greg Sherwood Cohalen - Emmy Award-Winning Public Broadcasting Anchor
  • Craig Debro - KTVU 2, Oakland, Television News Reporter
  • Joan Haratani - Attorney, San Francisco Bar Association President
  • Carol Moldaw - Noted Poet, Winner of the Field Prize
  • Douglas Perednia - Physician, Business Executive, Entrepreneur
  • Korshied Samad - Journalist, Bureau Chief, Afghan Nonprofit Org. Founder
  • Jackie Thomas - Nike Executive, Athenian School Trustee
  • Andrew Wistrich - United States District Magistrate Judge
  • Derek Carr - Professional Football Player
  • JP Crawford - Gold glove shortstop for the Seattle Mariners
  • Eric Bieniemy, '87 - NFL player and coach
  • Pat Haden, '71 - USC and NFL quarterback, sportscaster, USC Athletic Director
  • John Sciarra, '72 - NFL player, All-American quarterback at UCLA, played in 1976 Rose Bowl in which UCLA upset favored Ohio State, inducted into College Football Hall of Fame 2014
  • Carlos Pascual, '76 - U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs
  • France Córdova, '65 - president, Purdue University
  • Carmelita Jeter - Olympic Gold Medal Sprinter?
  • Denise Austin - Member of the Presidential Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under President Bush and President Obama?
  • Dr. Vincent Price - President of Duke University (#10)?
  • Dr. Patrick Concannon - Director of the University of Florida’s Gene Research Institute?
  • Sal Torres - Serves as mayor of Daly City and has been elected to city council 5 times ?
  • Yoela Palkin - Alum Yoela Palkin went on to UC Berkeley and has returned to give talks to current students about social entrepreneurship. Yoela Palkin is a 5-time founder, starting at the age of 17 with MEA, a mobile analytics pioneer acquired after integrating with 200+ apps. Her e-commerce analytics startup, Baskit, scaled to 800+ merchants and Fortune 1000 retailers before being acquired. Yoela was named one of the youngest VCs in Silicon Valley in 2014 when she joined Sierra Maya Ventures. In 2017, she became the global CTO at Daikokuya Holdings, a leading international private equity firm. Yoela currently serves as Managing Partner at 77Labs, a fund meets venture studio that acquires and develops IP in niche markets focused on healthcare, retail, transportation, and finance.
  • Allie Cannington - Alum Allie Cannington went on to American University and is now a community advocate and educator who has worked to organize youth with disabilities with a diverse range of backgrounds and identities around the issues facing the Disability community. Allie is the Statewide Community Organizer for the Disability Organizing Network, part of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC). She is also Senior Manager at The Kelsey, an organization focusing on the development of affordable, inclusive community housing with attention to the perspectives of people with disabilities.
  • Davey Feder - Alum Davey Feder went on to Stanford University and is now a Software Product Manager at Walt Disney Imagineering. David has previously led the development of a wide range of games, interactive experiences, and mobile apps for Disney. In his current role, he serves the Walt Disney Company's Parks and Resorts, developing immersive interactive experiences through the use of cutting-edge technologies.
  • Aaron Kalb - Alum Aaron Kalb went on to Stanford University and is the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Alation, a leading company developing data intelligence solutions. Prior to this role, Aaron worked on the development of core applications for Apple iOS and Siri. He also invented several technologies and holds two patents.
  • Ryan Lerman - Alum Ryan Lerman is a successful instrumentalist who toured as a bassist for Ben Folds, guitarist for Michael Bublé, and music director for John Legend. The songs he has written have been recorded by a number of artists such as Vulfpeck and Michael Bublé. His funk band, Scary Pockets, has received a whopping 375+ million views on Youtube and gained over 1.1 million subscribers.
  • Janet Jackson - Musical artist Janet Jackson of the famed Jackson family
  • Sydney Sweeney - Actor
  • Josie Totah - Actor
  • Jason Bateman - Actor
  • Randy Gardner - Olympic skater
  • David Crosby - Singer/songwirter
  • Garrett Lisi - Noted physicist
  • Billy Steinberg - Musician/Songwriter
  • Warren Breidenbach III - Pioneering surgeon
  • Sir John R.H. Bond - Financier
  • Mona Khalil - United Nations
  • Dr. William New - Inventor and physician
  • Joshua Yaro - Professional soccer (MLS)
  • Ema Boateng - Professional soccer (MLS)
  • Michael Panush - Current 3/4 Teacher at Courtyard Private School
  • Noah Bendix-Balgley '97 - Co-concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.
  • Jonah van Bourg '99 - Global Head of Trading at Cumberland; former Executive Director at Goldman Sachs.
  • Owen Dalby '98 - Member of the St Lawrence String Quartet and Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University.
  • Tracey Dooley, M.D. - Digital health innovator, partner at Avestria Ventures and member of the Women’s Health Executive Committee at Springboard Enterprises.
  • Audrey Vardanega - Co-Founder and COO of Arium, a streaming platform featuring global musical storytelling, Founder and Artistic Director of Musaics of the Bay, and touring concert pianist
  • Eric Reuveni, '98 - Emmy Award winner for technical - Work on James Cameron's "Expedition Bismarck"
  • Mike Boone - Inventor of Boone Boards and highly successful serial entrepreneur.
  • Justin Ching '07 - Film maker, professor at USC, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient.
  • Nyuol Tong '10 - Founder/Publisher of The Bare Life Review and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient.
  • Yoky Matsuoka - Co-founder of Google X, CTO of Google Nest.
  • Abu Danladi '19 - MLS recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year. Currently playing for Nashville Soccer Club.
  • Aiden Terry - Oscar-winning animater who worked with Kobe Bryant.
  • Alexander Rossi - American racing driver
  • Theresa Adolf - Animator at Disney animation studios
  • Leopold Chen - University of Southern California
  • Jackob - Northeastern University
  • Aruna - Rice University
  • Cooper Morace - Claremont McKenna College
  • Omar Benson Miller - An actor, known for his work as Walter Simmons on CSI: Miami, as Charles Greane on Ballers, as the voice of Raphael on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2022 film and on the CBS comedy series The Unicorn.
  • Courtney Mathewson - An Olympic water polo player, and part of the US team that won the gold medal at the 2013 Summer Olympics.
  • Krystal Irwin '14 - https://wordpress.com/post/highpointacademy.wordpress.com/4825
  • Greg Dohlen '79 - https://highpointacademy.wordpress.com/2022/06/01/alumni-spotlight-greg-dohlen-class-of-79/
  • Conrad Ukropina '08 - https://highpointacademy.wordpress.com/2021/05/03/alumni-spotlight-conrad-ukropina-08/
  • Annie Diehl '11 - https://highpointacademy.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/alumni-spotlight-annie-diehl-11/
  • Lauren Vernon '01 - https://highpointacademy.wordpress.com/2021/02/10/alumni-spotlight-lauren-vernon-01/
  • Nita Strauss - Professional Musician - Alice Cooper Touring Guitarist and Ibanez Signature Artist
  • Jamie Aronson - Variety - Managing Director of Event Marketing
  • Ben Ford - Chef & Owner of Ford's Filling Station/WIlliams-Sonoma
  • Ryan Van Schilfgaarde - NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratories - Mechanical Engineer
  • John Hural, Ph.D - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - Principal Staff Scientist, Vaccine & Infections Disease Division
  • Haley Jones '17 - Stanford basketball star and 2021 NCAA champion
  • Jocelyn Travers '21 - 2022 U.S.A Women's National Soccer Team
  • Shepard Fairey - Graphic Artist and Designer
  • Neal Beasley - Princess Grace Award Winner - Modern Dance, Trisha Brown Dance Company
  • Orpheo McChord - Percussionist, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros
  • Casey Abrams - American Idol 2011 Finalist
  • Trevor Hall - Recording Artist
  • Marin Ireland - Tony Award Nominated Actress
  • Elora Hardy - Founder of IBUKU in Bali, Indonesia
  • Cristy Candler - Broadway Musical Theater Actress
  • Vesselin Gelev - Associate Concertmaster - London Philharmonic
  • Liang Wang - Principal Oboe - New York Philharmonic
  • Josh Jackson - #4 NBA draft pick to Phoenix Suns
  • Brett Wallace - Professional MLB player
  • Olivia O'Brien - Singer, songwriter, Billboard Top 10
  • Mark Rappaport - Special make-up effects artist, CEO and owner of Creature Effects Inc, a company that provided special effects for many famous films, including Seabiscuit, The Revenant, Cowboys and Aliens, 300, and The Last Samurai. He received a prestigious technical ac
  • Mia Deng '13 - Mia was recognized in "Forbes 30 Under 30" for being the youngest partner at Dragonfly Capital. The crypto asset firm manages more than $2 billion of assets.
  • Anthony Arya '20 - Contestant on "The Voice" season 15: Arya still performs whilst attending Stanford University.
  • Aza Steel '09 - Steel co-founded GoGuardian, an educational software company less than a year after graduating college. He was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
  • Cindy Cohen Marten ’84 - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education
  • Jared Polis ’93 - Governor of Colorado
  • Kelsey Plum ’13 - Professional Basketball Player, Las Vegas Aces, back-to-back WNBA Championships (2023, 2022), Olympic Gold Medal Winner (2020), FIBA World Cup (2022, 2018)
  • Agnes Chu '98 - Former president of Condé Nast Entertainment, former VP of The Walt Disney Company CEO office, former SVP of content for Disney+.
  • Jodie Foster - Actress, producer
  • Christie Brinkley - Model
  • Molly Ringwald - Actress
  • Tim Wrightman - Played for on the Chicago Bears Superbowl Champion Team, 1986.
  • Michael Marinkovich - Vice Principal of Mary Star of the Sea High School
  • John Hussey - NFL Referee
  • Sarah Gascon - USA National Team Handball
  • Mary Salas - An American politician who previously served in the California Assembly and currently serves as the Mayor of the Chula Vista. She graduated from San Diego State University. ?
  • John Carlos Frey - Renowned investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker and published author. His work has won him many awards, including six Emmys. He has also written articles for the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Salon and more. He graduated from University
  • Paul Arriola - Professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the United States national team.?
  • Mickey Moniak - McKenzie Matthew Moniak (born May 13, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Moniak was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the first overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2020.
  • Bennet Kedrosky - MBMA is proud to announce that one of our own, MBMA alumni, Bennet Kedrosky, created a Twitter bot called Cal Fire Bot (@Calfirebot). This bot tweets California wildfire information in real-time. This is a useful tool created to alert people of fires and provide the opportunity to safely respond. “Each Twit will show three things, the description of fire, region, and the link to Google map for the exact location,” said Kedrosky. Another wonderful contribution to the community by MBMA alumni.
  • Dana Mathewson - MBMA’s Dana Mathewson graduated as a sixth grader in 2002. Years later, Dana competed in the 2016 Paralympics, and 2018 US Open Wheelchair Competition, and ranked #1 in US Woman's Wheelchair Tennis. In the summer of 2022, Dana along with another athlete won the wheelchair doubles championship at Wimbledon. Dana ranked the first American woman in her sport to win a Grand Slam title.
  • Michael Armstrong - Michael Armstrong is currently attending USC Thornton School of Music, after graduating from MBMA in 2007 and The Bishops School in 2013. Click the image to hear a sample from his debut album, "I Hope I'm Hearing Right".
  • Amanda Gorman - Amanda S. C. Gorman is an American poet, activist, and model. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. She rose to fame in 2021 for writing and delivering her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden.
  • Logan Green - Logan D. Green is the chairman and former CEO of Lyft, which he co-founded with John Zimmer in 2012.
  • Barbara B. Smith (L35) - Ethnomusicologist, Professor Emeritus of Music, University of Hawaii
  • Robert Erburu (L46) - Former Chairman of the Board and CEO, Times Mirror
  • Michael Mondavi (L58) - Founder, Folio Wine Partners
  • Jeffrey Hyland (L63) - President, Hilton & Hyland, architectural historian and author
  • John Slavik (L66, U69) - Owner, Pinnacle Holdings, Inc.
  • Keith Carradine (U67) - Actor, composer, musician
  • David Lazarus (L74, U78) - American business and consumer columnist for the Los Angeles Times
  • Bruce Sommers (L79) - President of Sincbox Media
  • Mari Holden (L84, U88) - 2000 Olympic silver medalist, cycling
  • Tiana Coudray (L02,U06) - 2010 winner, USEA Gold Cup Series CIC3* division, Galway Downs International Horse Trials
  • Lucille Roybal-Allard - Member of US House of Representatives from California
  • Melissa Villaseñor - American actress, stand-up comedian, and impressionist
  • Sorcha Tate - Professional ballerina with San Jose Ballet
  • Ty Sambrailo - College: Colorado State NFL Draft: 2015 Round 2 Pick 59 Career history Denver Broncos 2015–2016 Atlanta Falcons 2017–2019 Tennessee Titans 2020–2021 Career highlights and awards Super Bowl champion (50)
  • Sahid Valenzuela - MLB Draft 2019 Oakland Athletics Round 13 Overall Pick 404 College Cal State Fullerton
  • Ruben Noe Ibarra - MLB Draft 2021 Cincinnati Reds Round 4 Overall Pick 119 College San Jose State
  • Charles Bradley Watkins - MLB Draft 2021 Chicago Cubs Round 9 Overall Pick 274 College: College of Central Florida
  • Lucas Ramirez - Mountain View Mayor
  • Ellen Kamei - Former Mountain View Mayor
  • Gabe Vincent - is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Nigerian national basketball team.
  • Chelsea Gray - is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Two-time MVP award winner
  • James Kanoff - Founder of The Farmlink Project, which rescues surplus food from farmers and delivers it to food banks and families in need.
  • Ali Riley - Class of 2002 American-born New Zealand professional footballer, who plays as a defender for Angel City of the American National Women’s Soccer League
  • Katy Tur - MSNBC anchor, author, and broadcast journalist
  • Alfredo Pedroza '86 - Chair of the SF Chamber of Commerce
  • Angelique Cabral ’97 - Actress, best known for her role on "Life in Pieces"
  • Brita Sigourney ’08 - Olympic bronze medalist, freestyle skiing
  • Teresa Barger ’73 - CEO, Cartica Capital
  • Priscilla McCarthy Barolo ’03 - Head of Communications, Zoom
  • Meghan Looram ’92 - Director of Photography, New York Times
  • Angelique Cabral ’97 - actress, star of CBS's Life in Pieces, and voice of Queen Amaya in Disney's Wish
  • Leslie Redlich Cockburn ’70 - journalist, producer, director, writer; co-producer of The Peacemaker with George Clooney; mother of Olivia Wilde
  • Patricia Hearst Shaw ’72 - newspaper heiress, actress, and producer
  • Marissa Anshutz Hermer ’99 - co-founder of Boujis Group, a Los Angeles-based hospitality group that owns and operates The Draycott and Olivetta restaurants; star of Bravo's Ladies of London
  • Brita Sigourney ’08 - three-time Olympian and 2018 Bronze medalist in halfpipe freestyle skiing
  • Phoebe Bridgers '09 - Named Time Magazine’s Women of the Year 2023: https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2021/5937672/phoebe-bridgers/
  • Ady Barkan '97 - Lawyer, activist, and founder of Be A Hero PAC. Named Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020: https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888232/ady-barkan/
  • Sula Bermudez-Silverman ‘07 - Multi-media artist featured artist in the Hammer Museum’s "Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living" biennial exhibition: https://sula.studio/
  • Felecia Davis ’71 - Architect, engineer, educator, and founding member of the Black Reconstruction Collective. Featured in MoMA’s "Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America": http://www.feleciadavistudio.com/
  • Danny Parker ‘68 - Lawyer, engineer, activist. Pasadena NAACP; Chair of the Pasadena Reconnecting Communities Advisory Group.
  • Max Thieriot '02 - Actor, Writer, Producer Fire Country SEAL Team
  • Tom and Dick Smothers - Entertainers
  • Pete McCloskey - Congressman
  • Riki Ellison - Pro football; political action head
  • George Ruhlen - Medal of Honor winner
  • Nikola Stajszczak - Polish Model
  • Luke Winters - Current US Ski Team Member
  • Xander Guldman - Professional Skier, Freeride World Tour Competitor, Sponsored Athlete
  • Alice Robinson - New Zealand World Cup Alpine Ski Athlete
  • Katie Parker - Former Australian Alpine Olympic Skier
  • Issac Freeland - Professional Skier, Freeride World Tour Champion
  • Julia Marciari-Alexander '85 - Executive Director, Walters Art Museum
  • Caroline Adler '00 - Former Special Assistant to President Obama
  • Samantha Ainsley '07 - Senior Software Engineer & Technical Lead, Google
  • Ariel Fan '10 - CEO GreenWealth Energy
  • Josh Marshall '87 - Editor and publisher of TalkingPointsMemo.com
  • John Scalzi ’87 - Award-Winning Science Fiction Writer
  • Jim Drasdo '63 - Capital Research and Management Group
  • Mark Lee '85 - Architect, Dean of Harvard Graduate School of Design
  • Jeff Luhnow '84 - General Manager, Houston Astros
  • Otis Y. Chandler ’96 - Founder of Goodreads.com
  • Alyssa Thompson '19 - Alyssa Thompson is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the United States women's national team. She was named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021.
  • Gisele Thompson '20 - Gisele Thompson is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. She has represented the United States on the under-20 and under-17 national teams.
  • Jared Kiemeney - Sports Executive Producer, Cal State Fullerton
  • Michael Tomas - High School Principal, Thunderbird Academy in Scottsdale, Arizonia
  • Kenny Toop - Graduate of Pepperdine's MBA Program; Real Estate Licensed; broker and Attorney.
  • Taylor Eigsti - Grammy nominated jazz pianist
  • Marc Fiore - Awarded 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Political Cartooning

Recent Articles

Early Childhood Education Approaches: A Guide for Parents of 1 and 2 Year Olds
Early Childhood Education Approaches: A Guide for Parents of 1 and 2 Year Olds
In this article we explore three popular approaches to early childhood education: Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf. It provides parents of toddlers with essential information about each method, helping them make informed decisions about their child's early education.
Making the Right Choice: A Parent's Guide to Private School Selection
Making the Right Choice: A Parent's Guide to Private School Selection
We explore the reasons to consider private school education, compares boarding and day school options, and outlines essential factors in choosing the right school. It provides parents with valuable insights to make informed decisions about their child's education, drawing from real-world scenarios and expert advice.
Navigating Private School Finances: A Parent's Guide
Navigating Private School Finances: A Parent's Guide
This comprehensive guide explores the intricacies of private school tuition and financing options. Divided into three chapters, it covers understanding private school tuition, various payment methods, and seven specific options for managing educational expenses. The article aims to provide parents and guardians with valuable insights and practical strategies to make private education more accessible and affordable.