A proud resident of the nation's smallest state, Ryan W. Kirk ’09 has a deep appreciation for southern New England. He serves as the director of Leadership Giving at St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island, while also volunteering as a regional representative for Westminster College. In this role, he helps fellow Westminster alumni and friends discover and embrace the region he now calls home. After earning his economics degree from Westminster in 2009, Kirk went on to study law at the University of Pittsburgh, completing a master’s in the studies of law, with a focus on tax law, taxation, and estate planning, in 2012.

What’s one thing you love most about your region/area/part of the country? 

Southern New England is absolutely beautiful, as long as you can endure long and cold winters. However, if one survived four years of New Wilmington winters, you'd be just fine here! The natural landscape of this region is stunning, and many cities and towns play host to great history - in many cases stretching back to pre-Revolutionary times.

What tips would you offer a new graduate considering a move to your area?

Many parts of New England - especially Boston - have a very high cost of living; however, public transportation is very good, and widely available. So, if you're considering relocating to this area, it's a good idea to think broadly in terms of an acceptable commute and where you might like to live. If you decide to make the move, New England is a wonderful part of this country. Great public schools, and a real sense of community in most places.

How did you land at Westminster during your college search?

I found Westminster, as a small college, intriguing, mostly because I attended a large, public high school (North Allegheny), where I graduated with more than 750 people in my class. Westminster's small, connected community was attractive to me, and I remember how friendly everyone was when I first visited the campus in the early summer of 2004. Adjunct music faculty member PJ Gatch was my private percussion studio instructor, and he encouraged me to look seriously at the college. In addition to the connection I had to the college through PJ, my parents were also close friends with fellow Titan and longtime trustee Peter Herchenroether '76, and he played a role in my eventual matriculation. Peter turned out to be an important mentor to me throughout my time at WC. 

What Westminster experiences made a difference in your life/career?

As a student, I had a wonderful opportunity to serve as an Associate Trustee on the College's board, representing student interests my junior and senior years. It was during this time that I became close with President Tom Williamson, and his wife, Jean. They were wonderful to me, and through the relationship, I learned more about Tom's background as an education fundraiser. This sparked my initial interest in my current field.  After graduating from Westminster in 2009, I took a few internships with nonprofits around Pittsburgh to experience first-hand fundraising and advancement work, and to see if I wanted to pursue that as a career. I had great experiences with The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and The Winchester-Thurston School; enough so that I decided to enroll in a graduate program in law at the University of Pittsburgh. I specialized in areas of law that would be helpful in fundraising (tax law, estates and trusts), and after one final internship with Shady Side Academy my last semester of graduate school, I was persuaded to pursue a career in independent school fundraising. I've now worked for three different boarding schools across the Mid-Atlantic and New England, and I find the work incredibly rewarding and fulfilling.

What was your favorite place on campus as an undergrad?

I loved to spend time in Old Main and around the Chapel. I've always loved Gothic-revival architecture, and Old Main has that in spades!

What class, professor, or experience stood out to you as a Westminster student?

Although I was not a music major, I learned a lot from playing in various ensembles under the direction of R. Tad Greig. He had high expectations of his students; in turn, we learned to have high expectations for ourselves. 

WC seniors are excitedly awaiting spring commencement in May. What advice do you have for them as they prepare to use their Westminster experiences to pursue career and educational endeavors? 

Major life transitions often seem more ominous (and certainly can be stressful or anxiety-inducing) as you're going through them than they are when we look back on them. However, those moments are usually ones when great learning and growth also take place. So, I suppose my advice would be to try to embrace the stressful moments of transition and be excited for the growth and chance which accompanies that.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn and make sure to tell him if you’re planning to visit southern New England!

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