Caroline Cantone ’06

    Alumni > Caroline Cantone ’06

This interview originally appeared in 2008 in “VII Questions for Alumni,” a column in the Alumni Newsletter that gives us a peak at life after, but not without, C&C.

When you think of C&C, what is the first thing that pops into your mind?

The first thing that pops into my head when I think of City and Country is all the friends I have had there. It is easy to grow attached to your classmates and teachers, especially if you have been with them a long time. C&C was my home away from home. My C&C friends felt like family. They didn’t judge me and I could tell my deepest secrets to them without fear. C&C teachers are there because they want to be there, not because they have to. They make you feel like you can tell them about whatever is bothering you. It was especially important for me after 9/11 when I was evacuated from my apartment. Everyone was really supportive and they were constantly asking me if I needed anything. When I left City and Country I realized that it gives students the feeling that they can get close to their classmates instead of being competitive. The first thing and the most important thing that pops into my head when I think about City and Country is having had and still having a family and a home away from home.

What was your favorite job at C&C?

My favorite job at City and Country was the 13s’ Newspaper. I was able to interview, research, and report on the subjects that I found important and thought my community should know about. We took the Newspaper seriously and it was our own. We named it, designed the cover, designed the layout, wrote the articles and sold it. It was a job that let us express ourselves for everyone to hear us.

How did your experience at C&C prepare you for high school?

C&C prepared me for high school because it gave me the confidence to express myself and the capacity to enjoy learning.

What does it mean to you to be a lifelong learner?

A lifelong learner is someone open to learning new and interesting things. It is someone who finds something new to experience every day, whether it is academic or just plain interesting. It is someone whose learning doesn’t end when school does.

Describe something that you recently “learned by doing.”

I recently learned how to change a diaper. It was an interesting adventure. I finally got the hang of it by the third diaper change. I figured out how to put it on him and, more importantly, how to keep him still while I was changing it for him.

How does C&C touch your everyday life?

I think that my confidence in asking questions — and I ask a lot of questions — came from my years at C&C. We were never discouraged from asking questions. Through asking, you learn.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years I see myself either: in medical school; working for the United Nations in a refugee camp; working in an embassy in an Islamic country; or maybe working as an actress in Hollywood. The truth is I don’t know what I see myself doing in ten years. I have the ability to accomplish any of it.