Alumnae Recognition

Since 1974, Marlborough School’s Alumnae Association has been honoring outstanding alumnae with the Woman of the Year award. The Woman of the Year serves as an inspiration to all alumnae and students. She is accomplished, enthusiastic, and has contributed positively to the quality of life around her. She embodies the spirit of Marlborough. She is a proud Marlborough alumna who has created a place at the table and has worked to change the world for the better.

With this annual award, we seek to reflect the depth and breadth of our alumnae community and celebrate the remarkable impact of Marlborough women in action.

2020 Woman of the Year: Annabel Schwedes Monaghan ’87

Annabel Schwedes Monaghan is an accomplished author whose wit, humor, and eloquence shines through on every page she pens. She is the author of two novels for young adults, A Girl Named Digit and Double Digit (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012, 2014). She is also the author of Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big? (Fischer Press 2016), a collection of essays based on her column that appears on the Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. Annabel is also co-author of Click! The Girls Guide to Knowing What You Want and Making it Happen (Simon and Schuster 2007). 

Annabel graduated from Marlborough School in 1987 where she was Student Body President. She remembers taking English with Dr. Mary Brackenhoff two years in a row and deciding that the rest of her life would be about books. It was at Marlborough that she developed her love of writing and speaking, and also where she made the best friends of her life. 

She graduated from Duke University with a BA in English and moved to New York to work at Goldman Sachs. She went on to receive an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, where she launched a short-term career in investment banking and a long-term marriage to her husband Tom.

Annabel continues to write, speak and teach. She is on the novel writing faculty at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. And Marlborough has been the happy beneficiary of her expertise on many occasions. She has spoken with current Marlborough students several times and always encourages them to create and seek out complex, interesting young women in stories, media, and life. Annabel lives in Rye, New York with her husband and three teenage sons. 

First awarded in 2020, Marlborough's Alumnae Association awards the 20Y Award to a young alumna who exemplifies the core values of Marlborough through her personal and professional endeavors. This award is open to all alumnae who graduated from Marlborough within the past 20 years. With this annual award, we seek to recognize and celebrate the diversity, successes, and passions of our young alumnae community.

2020 20Y Award Winner: Maya Humes ’10

Maya has been passionate about politics since Marlborough, and she discovered her true passion - the powerful intersection between politics and communications - during her time at Stanford University. At Stanford, she studied Ethics and Politics, pursued her masters degree in Media Studies, and ultimately wrote her thesis on Black Twitter as a tool for socio-political activism. She also interned at the Los Angeles Sentinel as well as NBC News, and began working in tech communications immediately after graduate school. 

Maya is currently Chief of Staff to Mayor Michael Tubbs, National Co-Chair of Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign. Beforehand, Maya was California Communications Director for Kamala Harris during her run for president. In 2018, Maya got her start in politics as Florida Media Manager and then Press Secretary at NextGen America, a political organization focused on mobilizing young voters and electing progressive candidates like Andrew Gillum and Debbie Mucarsel Powell. 

Maya was featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Momentum magazine for her commitment to enacting change through political engagement, and she is this year's Class of 2010 Agent. While at Marlborough, she was All School President, a member of Drama Ensemble, and played on the varsity tennis team. Today, she is happy to be in LA surrounded by family and friends from every stage of her life. She loves discovering new music and podcasts, long runs in Kenneth Hahn Park, and brunch food of all kinds.

Established in 2020, Marlborough's Athletic Hall of Fame aims to honor our alumnae, coaches, and administrators' excellence in athletics. Biennially we induct members of our community who exhibited the highest caliber of athletic accomplishments during their time at Marlborough or through subsequent athletic endeavors. Nominees must have demonstrated good sportsmanship, citizenship, and character. These community members are identified through a nomination process open to their peers and are inducted and celebrated at a ceremony in the spring.

2020 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees: Denise Corlett ’76, Gay Wehrli ’85, and Shaina Zaidi ’03

Denise Corlett ’76

• Denise has an extensive resume full of accolades and accomplishments. She remains one of Marlborough’s greatest all-around athletes and was even the first California State High School Female Athlete of the Year. After Marlborough, she matriculated to UCLA where she played three varsity sports - volleyball, basketball, and badminton. In 1999, Denise was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame for all three sports.

  Denise is currently the Associate Head Coach of Stanford’s women’s volleyball team. This is her 24th year in that role. In her time there, Denise has led the team to unprecedented victories and achievements. She has also been involved with the US National Volleyball Team in various roles, including team leader and assistant coach. Earlier this year, Denise was inducted into the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Gay Wehrli ’85

• Gay was incredibly involved in Marlborough Athletics throughout her high school years. In fact, she came to Marlborough in high school in order to participate more fully in school athletics and played on the basketball, volleyball, and swim teams. She also ran cross country and track. She won many awards here including MVP several times and Most Spirited Award many times. Gay was also her Class Athletic Representative and the Study Body Athletic Representative.

  At Trinity College, Gay continued her involvement in athletics. She participated in cross country, basketball, and track. Throughout her college athletic career, she was recognized by Trinity College and by the NCAA, including earning the Trinity Blanket Award (for 12 varsity letters in 4 years) and NCAA All-American. During medical school and throughout her years of residency/fellowships, Gay continued to compete as an elite level runner - she is truly a lifelong athlete and credits her Marlborough education and Marlborough athletics experiences with her many successes in life.

Shaina Zaidi ’03

• Shaina has been a dedicated member of Marlborough’s athletics program since her time as a student. As a student, she was a multi-sport athlete but her talents and passion always lay with basketball. As basketball team captain, she helped lead Marlborough to three-straight Sunshine League titles and left a lasting impression on the program. Shaina continues to help it grow as a Marlborough basketball coach and trainer.

  Shaina also played basketball for UCLA from 2004-2007 and then professionally in Germany from 2007-2011. Now, as an entrepreneur with a growing business, Shaina still makes plenty of time for Marlborough. She even organizes alumnae basketball games to keep graduates connected to the school and their sport. Shaina continues to be dedicated to Marlborough’s legacy through her relationships with current students, alumnae, and faculty.

On March 23, 2019, to honor the tremendous bravery and unprecedented impact that Chelsea, Mikaela, and our anonymous alumna have had on our community, all three women were recognized with the first-ever Marlborough Alumnae Council Courage Award. In addition to the planting of a tree in the school’s Alumnae Garden, a permanent plaque was installed as a visual reminder of the courage and conviction of these remarkable women in working to change Marlborough—and the world for all women—for the better. 

This award will only be bestowed when Alumnae Council wishes to recognize extraordinary alumnae who have left a lasting and meaningful impact on Marlborough and this world we all share. 

2020:
Maya Humes ’10

2020 Inductees:
Denise Corlett ’76
Gay Wehrli ’85
Shaina Zaidi ’03

2019
Chelsea Burkett '02
Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie '13
An Anonymous Alumna