Alumni

Morgan Kleinberg, Class of 2016

My name is Morgan, and I’m currently a senior at Tufts University finishing up my degrees in Film and Media Studies and French. My main academic focus is my thesis about the Shrek movies, specifically, how the films subvert the Disney’s master narrative regarding morality and gender roles. After a year living and studying in Paris, I now work as an intern for a local production company and as a teaching assistant for two film production courses at university. After graduation, I hope to work in television production, and perhaps go to graduate school for either writing or production.

Mostly, I remember everything to do with the Big Blue marching band and Wind Ensemble. I’ve come back every summer since graduation to help out with band camp, and I still play the bassoon at Tufts. I found my chosen family in the Ramsey band program, a bond forged in hours of rehearsal on the field, and hours more spent on long bus rides. Friday night football games followed by late night trips to Stateline, hoagies at 7am on too many Saturday mornings. Trips to Boston, London, and Rome, opportunities I could have never imagined. To this day, Mr. Bialkin is my favorite teacher because he always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I’m incredibly grateful for everything the band program has taught me, whether it be about the discipline involved in marching, the necessity of a creative outlet, or the value of family.

The teachers at Ramsey are who make all the opportunities to learn, grow, and have fun, possible. I’ll never forget the incredible debates and activities we did in Mrs. Murphy’s class. No one makes history and sociology a pleasure to learn quite like her; I still tell my friends about her lecture on feral children. My other favorite teacher, Ms. Martin, taught me there’s hope for a career in media. Out of the 12 people in my graduate level seminar at Tufts, I was the only person with any background in media literacy. I have Ms. Martin to thank for that. She encouraged us to pursue and write about the most interesting, topical subjects, whether it be politics, film, music, and taught us to be critical of every media we consume. Four years later, I still read the New York Times Sunday Op-Ed like we did for her class. Both Mrs. Murphy and Ms. Martin made me a better writer, researcher, and most importantly, an informed citizen.

During my time at RHS, I was involved in quite a lot. Band, Puppet club, Girl Scouts. I tutored a lot, students from 4^th grade algebra all the way to 11^th grade pre-calculus, and I worked as well. RHS taught me how balance growing as an independent individual with building and relying on a support system. Today, I work in an industry that is inherently collaborative. The film community in Boston is tight knit and friendly, not unlike Ramsey in that respect. To do what I love to do, to accomplish what I seek to accomplish, I have to be able to work in a team, I have to be able to do a lot of different jobs, and I need to be flexible. Ramsey taught me I can love multitudes, and gave me the space and support I needed while learning to balance my interests and involvement in the community.