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In the vast and challenging landscape of global health, the story of malaria has most recently been one great progress. Many Asian countries, including Thailand, are on the verge of eliminating the disease entirely, demonstrating a 90% decrease in cases over the past 15 years. Standing at the forefront of this fight is Jui Shah ’02, who leads a malaria elimination team in Bangkok, partnering with Thai leadership to collect and translate disease surveillance data, designing strategies and policy considerations, all with the goal to bring the country eventually down to zero. In this episode, Jui describes both the nature of her work, and her long journey from Harvard-Westlake–crediting in part the transformational impact of financial aid. Jui describes how she could not have accessed great institutions like Harvard-Westlake, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins were it not for need-based financial assistance. Today, Jui chooses to pay that gift forward through her work in Thailand, stating she feels “the responsibility to do something meaningful with all of the investment that has been made in me.” Jui credits Nini Halkett and Javier Zaragoza from Harvard-Westlake, Chuck Weiss and You-Me Park at Georgetown, and global health leader Yazoume Ye as profound life influences.

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Jarron Collins ’97 is an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, and previous to that—a three-time NBA champion as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. In this episode, Jarron speaks about the many coaches who influenced his championship journey, from Harvard-Westlake to Stanford to the NBA—each of them contributing a style and philosophy that Jarron incorporates into his coaching today. On a more personal level, Jarron also recounts when in 2013, his twin brother Jason Collins ’97 came out to him as gay. Following this revelation, Jarron describes realizing two newfound responsibilities: first, to love and support his sibling; and second, to more broadly and publicly become a gay ally. Jarron references Greg Hilliard of Harvard-Westlake, Mike Montgomery of Stanford, and Jerry Sloan and Steve Kerr of the NBA, as profound influences.

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Lily Collins ’07 is an actor, producer, and centerpiece of the global Netflix phenomenon, Emily in Paris. In this episode, Lily joins The Supporting Cast from New York amid a massive press tour, wedged between late night talk show appearances, to speak about the responsibility she carries as both the series lead, and more broadly, as a public figure. To the latter, Lily describes her choice in the 2017 memoir “Unfiltered” to speak about personal challenges in her teenage years—including battling an eating disorder. Lily insists that a principal reason she felt so prepared to share her truth was the confidence, trust, and sense of community she gained from Harvard-Westlake Peer Support. Lily remains close to this day with her HW Peer Support friends, and credits the group’s embrace with her finding such a strong personal and professional community as an adult. Lily references educators Christopher Moore and Jocelyn Medawar of Harvard-Westlake, as well as actors/filmmakers Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, and David Fincher, as profound life mentors.

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In the fall of 2017, Harvard-Westlake acquired 17 acres of flat land in Studio City with the aspiration of building a third campus. More than five years later, the project, now known as Harvard-Westlake River Park, is potentially within months of gaining approval with the City of Los Angeles. To help provide insights into this transformational project is Harvard-Westlake CFO and River Park project lead, David Weil ’93. In this episode, David speaks in detail about not only River Park’s unique benefits to the health and well-being of Harvard-Westlake students, but also how the project will impact both the local community and natural environment—including the largest investments in environmental sustainability the school has ever undertaken. As Harvard-Westlake’s Chief Financial Officer, David also speaks about managing a hundred million dollar financial operation, and how the school has managed to increase faculty and staff compensation at a higher rate than tuition for five consecutive years—a feat that should not be financially possible but that David has helped to make so. Lastly, David speaks about his own Harvard, Harvard-Westlake, and Pomona College experiences, and how the lessons of team sports have not only impacted him personally, but also make him the ideal leader for a community-centered athletic and recreational facility like River Park. David references Hans Palmer and Pat Mulcahy of Pomona College, in addition to Rob Levin of Harvard-Westlake, as profound life influences.

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Beloved Harvard-Westlake teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend Ted Walch died peacefully at his home on September 8, 2022. In Ted’s memory, we re-post Season 1, Episode 6, of The Supporting Cast featuring the inimitable Ted Walch.

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In the season 3 finale, The Supporting Cast welcomes Tony and Emmy Award winning actor Courtney B. Vance. In this episode, Courtney speaks about growing up in Detroit during the 1960s and 1970s and attending an independent school, Detroit Country Day, before heading to Harvard and then Yale School of Drama. In addition to discussing his career as an actor, Courtney describes many of the broader themes that have impacted both his family and his creativity, such as race, mental health, education, and criminal justice. Among the most noteworthy of Courtney’s roles was playing O.J. Simpson defense attorney Johnny Cochran on FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” for which Courtney won an Emmy in 2016. Courtney describes finding his connection to Cochran through their shared experience of being “the only Black kid at an all-White School” and therefore also sharing, in his mind, both the experiences and skill sets that helped Johnny to understand O.J., and Courtney to understand Johnny. Courtney references George Brown, Kay Slaughter, and Beverly Hannett-Price of Detroit Country Day and Earle Gister and Lloyd Richards of Yale School of Drama as profound educational influences.

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Kate Benton just completed her 27th year at Harvard-Westlake, where she has served as a performing arts faculty member and most recently as Head of the Middle School Deans. In this episode, Kate explains how middle schoolers have adjusted back to “in-person” school academically, mentally, and socially, and how Kate and her colleagues start their advisory work with “listening.” Kate also describes her upbringing in New York City as the child of a theater producer and classically trained violinist, which spurred in her a passion for the arts. This carried through to her schooling at Chapin, Dana Hall, and Northwestern, before Kate ventured west to Los Angeles and joining the famed Groundlings improvisation and sketch comedy group where she later served as President. Following an acting career that included appearing on two episodes of Seinfeld (both are discussed), Kate discovered Harvard-Westlake and in 1995 accepted Tom Hudnut’s invitation to begin her career in education. In conclusion, Kate tells one of the most moving stories of the series, relating to the Broadway musical Mame, a fire, her father, and a time when Kate says, “Harvard-Westlake was listening.” Kate references her parents, Jeanne Armin of Dana Hall School, Nina Burtchaell of Harvard-Westlake, and actor Phil Hartman as profound life influences.

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In the spring of 2014, Erik Swoope ’10 laced up his cleats for the first day of rookie camp with the Indianapolis Colts. While the NFL is a rare destination for any aspiring professional athlete, this was especially unusual for Erik. Erik Swoope never played college football, nor high school football, nor youth football–nor had he watched the Super Bowl in more than a decade. Yet somehow, Erik made the practice squad–and then the real squad, spending the next several years catching touchdown passes from Andrew Luck as an NFL tight end. In this episode, Erik tells his story, from growing up in Lake Elsinore and playing AAU basketball, to finding Harvard-Westlake and University of Miami, to then converting his ACC basketball skills to the route-running and pass-catching of the NFL. Through it all, however, Erik has found success by conveying both the inner confidence to pursue new challenges and the humility to seek wisdom and guidance from others. Among the many figures Erik cites as profound mentors are Jon Wimbish and Greg Hilliard of Harvard-Westlake, Jim Larrañaga of University of Miami, and Rob Chudzinski, Jimmy Graham, Jack Doyle, Reggie Wayne, and Andrew Luck of the National Football League.

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After 12 years at Phillips Andover, Rev. Anne Gardner joined Harvard-Westlake in 2020 as the school’s chaplain. While prior to Anne’s arrival, Rick Commons had framed the role as an “entrepreneurial chaplaincy,” Anne had no idea how unorthodox it would actually become. Anne spent the first year of the job remote from Los Angeles, and then the second year working with students and adults who were still adjusting psychologically and spiritually to the fear and isolation of a global pandemic. In its aftermath, Anne sees her role as helping community members ask the big questions—such as, “Who am I? How do I decide right from wrong? Whom do I emulate? What gives my life meaning?” In Anne’s case, life was given meaning by two brave and resilient parents—a mother who became a biochemist, and her father a World War II hero and amputee. It was they who inspired Anne’s sense of gratitude and public service, as well as her commitment to a somewhat unlikely career as an ordained minister. Anne admits that as a gay woman, she carries an unusual combination of characteristics for clergy—but that she enjoys leaning into this cognitive dissonance in others, as a way to demonstrate both a common humanity, as well as the many spiritual paths to intellectual and religious leadership. Anne credits both her parents and her Jesuit education as profound influences on her life and career.

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Sabrina Singh ’05 is Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President Kamala Harris. In this episode, Sabrina speaks about the heightened stakes of White House communications, the delicate balance between policy precision and personal authenticity in political speech, and how the Harris and Biden press teams collaborate as a unified administration. Sabrina also describes both her past—growing up in Los Angeles and attending Harvard-Westlake and USC—as well as her future, as she prepares for a new role at the Pentagon as Director of Integrated Campaigns for the Department of Defense. Lastly, while the conversation avoids discussing the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, Sabrina speaks about how meaningful it is, particularly as an Indian American woman, for her to work for the first woman and first Indian American to serve as Vice President. As Sabrina notes, Kamala Harris “looks like me.” Sabrina references Jane Dabel and Bob Pavitch of Harvard-Westlake, Douglas Becker and Todd Boyd of USC, Jesse Ferguson and Jennifer Krider of the DCCC, and United States Senator Cory Booker as profound influences on her life and career.