A Red Wing Returns: An Interview with Alan Ashenfelter ’05
Q: Where has your post-Rivers path taken you?
A: I went to Wesleyan University, played soccer there, and loved it. We won the school’s first NESCAC title and NCAA tournament games. After college, I trained for a year in preparation to apply to Officer Candidate School. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I wasn't selected in 2010 and the application cycle is long, so I decided I needed to get a full-time job. I had been teaching and coaching part-time at Rivers, and I really liked it. I ended up getting a job at Bridgton Academy in Maine teaching math and working as the head coach of their Class A boys’ soccer program for two years. I had such a strong connection to the Rivers community, so when the position as assistant admissions director opened up, it was a no-brainer. An added bonus was the chance to be the assistant soccer coach.
A: I went to Wesleyan University, played soccer there, and loved it. We won the school’s first NESCAC title and NCAA tournament games. After college, I trained for a year in preparation to apply to Officer Candidate School. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I wasn't selected in 2010 and the application cycle is long, so I decided I needed to get a full-time job. I had been teaching and coaching part-time at Rivers, and I really liked it. I ended up getting a job at Bridgton Academy in Maine teaching math and working as the head coach of their Class A boys’ soccer program for two years. I had such a strong connection to the Rivers community, so when the position as assistant admissions director opened up, it was a no-brainer. An added bonus was the chance to be the assistant soccer coach.
Q: What excites you about your work?
A: I've seen young people develop and accomplish great things in the face of adversity. I feel fortunate to have a part in that.
Q: Rivers’ boys’ varsity soccer team became New England and ISL Co-Champions this past fall. What was it like being the assistant coach for that team?
A: There is something special about high school sports. I was always excited to get to our next team event, practice, or game because it was just plain FUN. The guys worked hard every day, but they also had as much fun as any team I’ve been around. The last thing the players would say before every game was ‘family,’ and I attribute a lot of our success to how close the team became on and off the field. I look forward to keeping those bonds going through the off-season.
A: There is something special about high school sports. I was always excited to get to our next team event, practice, or game because it was just plain FUN. The guys worked hard every day, but they also had as much fun as any team I’ve been around. The last thing the players would say before every game was ‘family,’ and I attribute a lot of our success to how close the team became on and off the field. I look forward to keeping those bonds going through the off-season.
Q: Why were you so eager to come back to Rivers?
A: I think the easy answer is that I had such a good experience here. I had so many opportunities to grow, learn, and develop as a student, athlete, and young man. I feel very passionate about what this place can do and what people can get out of it.
A: I think the easy answer is that I had such a good experience here. I had so many opportunities to grow, learn, and develop as a student, athlete, and young man. I feel very passionate about what this place can do and what people can get out of it.
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