St. Paul’s Alumna Shares Lessons in Perseverance with Middle School Students

Earlier this week, St. Paul’s welcomed back alumna Allie Pierce ’17, who visited our middle school students to share her journey since graduating from St. Paul’s.

After leaving St. Paul’s, Allie attended Pembroke Hill School, graduating in 2021, and went on to Dartmouth University, where she earned her degree this past spring. While at Dartmouth, Allie discovered a love for sailing. Although Allie hadn’t planned to be a college athlete, she missed the camaraderie of sports and found in sailing a team environment that pushed her to grow.

She joined the sailing team her freshman year, quickly learning the unique challenges of the sport—one that she describes as a combination of “chess, dance, and strength training all at once.” Competing in heavy winds required grit and determination, qualities that helped set her apart. Her perseverance paid off: she eventually became team captain, and her team, Dartmouth Sailing, placed third at Nationals twice.

During her visit, Allie shared three key lessons with our middle schoolers:

• Trust the process. Growth doesn’t happen all at once. “You can’t expect to run a marathon the first time,” she explained. Instead, setbacks should be reframed as opportunities to learn and improve.

• You are your own biggest obstacle. Allie encouraged students not to compare themselves to others or put limits on what they can achieve. “You are capable of so much if you work hard.”

• Never give up. Whether in sports, academics, or life, discipline and perseverance make all the difference. Showing up consistently, even in the small moments, leads to big results.

She also spoke about her approach to goal setting: starting small—such as mastering a maneuver—then progressing to larger goals, like competing at regattas, advancing to the national level, and ultimately becoming a team leader. When times were tough, she reminded herself that she owed it both to herself and to her team to keep going.

Looking ahead, Allie is preparing for the next chapter in her journey. She is taking a gap year to apply to medical school and is moving to New York City to work at a women’s cancer center.

We are so grateful to Allie for returning to campus and inspiring our middle school students with her story of resilience, leadership, and determination. Her story is a perfect example of our how our graduates go out into the world to accomplish big things!