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Distinguished Alumni Award Presented to Cynthia van Roden '75 May, 1, 2015

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievement, the dedication, and the personal accomplishments of a Shipley alumna or alumnus in a particular field of endeavor, whether it be in a chosen profession, through formal volunteer activities unrelated to the School, or through a personal commitment to an issue, project or cause.
 
Alumna Cynthia van Roden, Class of 1975, attended Shipley for her sophomore through senior year. She sang in the Madrigals, played on the tennis and squash teams, and was a member of the Photography Club, where she undoubtedly nurtured the passion for her future profession. Close friends recall, “Cynthia was always a positive thinker; to the extent that she took a course where she learned techniques to rewire negative thinking, tap into her true potential, and achieve her goals. This might have been the secret to Cynthia's success in all areas of her life--personal, professional, and musical.” After her graduation, Cynthia studied at Sir John Cass School of Art in London and at Dickinson College, where she graduated with honors in photography in 1979.
 
Following her graduation from Dickinson, Ms. van Roden became a photo researcher and editor in New York City, where she catalogued images for the Time/Life Picture Collection, which at the time was the largest photo collection in the world and included images for the magazine groups of Time, Life, Fortune, and People. After three years she moved on to SIPA Press, one of the leading photo-press agencies in the world today, where she assigned, represented, recruited, and acquired photographers for clients ranging from Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, and People magazines to tabloids. In addition, she served as a photo editor, producer, agent, and manager for the New York Times Syndicate.
 
After several more positions as a photo editor for publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Times Mirror Magazines, and Fortune magazine, in June of 1997, Ms. van Roden was recruited by Hallmark Cards to become their first ever Photography Editor, a new position at one of the largest creative departments in the world.
 
For her outstanding achievements in photography and her pioneering work for Hallmark Cards, we are pleased to present Cynthia van Roden with Shipley’s 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.