December 08, 2022
A World Of Good
Distance is no obstacle for Andover’s international donorsSome 6,600 miles from Phillips Academy, an “A” flag snaps in the breeze above the Dubai doorway belonging to Majjid Ahmed ’73.
Across time zones and on either side of the international date line, Andover affinity runs strong. All over the world, alumni, parents, and friends are nurturing their connections to the Hill—and finding new ways to express Knowledge & Goodness.
“Andover changed my life. It was only right for me to do whatever I could to give back,” says Ahmed, who recalls landing in Boston as the school’s first-ever Pakistani student more than 50 years ago.
“At Andover I came across the smartest kids I’d ever seen—kids from Iran, Europe, Korea,” recalls Ahmed, now a member of the Alumni Council. “I made wonderful friends. Years later, my wife, Ambreen, and I realized we had to do something to say thank you.”
Together, they funded the Ambreen & Majjid Ahmed ’73 Family Squash Court in Snyder Center, a nod to Pakistan’s longstanding prowess in the sport. Ahmed hopes to play on court No. 7—for the first time—at his 50th Reunion in June.
“There’s no better gift than one to this school, as far as I’m concerned,” he says.
William Peng ’86 agrees. Now a resident of Hong Kong, he cherishes his years spent at Andover as a young student from Taiwan. He remains close with fellow alumni in Asia and travels to the Academy whenever he can. “I drop by campus and the memories just rush back,” he says.
Now he channels his love for the Academy into philanthropy, bolstering the school’s future music building and much more. Recently, respect for Andover’s faculty led him to endow an instructorship, named for esteemed classics teacher Nick Kip ’60, P’85, ’91.
“Decades after graduating, I really started to appreciate the teachers who shaped me. A lot of them dedicated their entire lives to the PA community. I think that makes Andover unique,” says Peng. “Mr. Kip was special. He was enthusiastic all the time. I read he was retiring and thought, ‘This is one of my favorite teachers.’ I was moved to do something, and the instructorship was the perfect choice.”
To date, more than 13 PERCENT of all Knowledge & Goodness donations are from outside the U.S.
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Beyond the classroom and athletic facilities, other initiatives benefiting from global donors include equity and inclusion, financial aid, and the Academy’s mission to educate youth from every quarter.
To that end, Flavia Faugeres P’21, ’23, and her husband, Antoine, of São Paulo, established the Brazil Scholarship through the Andover Fund to raise awareness of their country at PA and to forge more educational opportunities for their fellow citizens.
“We want to bring more Brazilians to Andover,” says Faugeres, who considers herself an aunt to all such students at the Academy. “They need financial support, a network. Our gift says, let’s go, let’s do this, let’s believe.
“Additionally, for international families—it’s important to be represented, to be understood, and to be valued,” she says. “Financial aid gives international students a chance to be a talent in the world. It builds a heritage, a story at Andover. And it takes many donors—a whole international chain of them—to make that happen.”
Far and wide, that chain of donors is linking up for Andover. Ahmed, Peng, and Faugeres say their philanthropy has redoubled their relationship with the Academy, and they hope others will join them in their efforts.
“There are many people around the world doing so much for the school,” says Ahmed. “We are all doing what we can to be ambassadors of Andover, wherever we are.”
To learn more, contact Ellen Sullivan, director of international advancement, at [email protected].
Originally printed in The Vista: Views from the Knowledge & Goodness Campaign, fall 2022.
Categories: Campaign News
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