Living St. Margaret’s Mission: How Two Tartan Alumni Are Shaping the World Through Learning, Leadership and Service
By Ryan Wood
The Class of 2024 marked a milestone for St. Margaret’s that has been decades in the making.
When those 122 Tartans received their diploma last June and tossed their caps in the air, they joined a special community of Tartan alumni that now total more than 3,000 graduates.
Each one has a story to tell. They’ve taken their St. Margaret’s education to colleges and universities around the world, and embarked on successful pursuits in business, technology, medicine, finance, education, the arts, nonprofits and so much more.
“We love our Tartan alumni. We see them doing great things and we are so proud of the mark they are making in this world,” Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham said. “I have had the privilege to connect with many alumni at events and reunions across the country. The updates they provide and the stories they share only affirm the work we are doing at St. Margaret’s.
“Our mission very clearly calls for us to prepare young people for lives of learning, leadership and service. Our alumni—whether in our first Class of 1986 or the most recent Class of 2024—are essential in understanding St. Margaret’s effectiveness in delivering on this life-long mission. We listen closely to our alumni and cherish their importance to our school and the greater community.”
St. Margaret’s caught up with Tartan alumni who are living the school’s mission, pursuing lives of learning, embracing leadership opportunities, and serving their communities in ways that speak to their passions and align with their vision for a better world.
Here are a few of their stories.
Finding Her Life’s Purpose
Dr. Chrissie Massrey ‘10
From the time she was a student in St. Margaret’s Lower School, Chrissie Massrey ’10 knew she wanted to be a doctor.
It wasn’t until Upper School, though, where her path became crystal clear.
There, she made the life-changing decision to volunteer with Special Camp, the St. Margaret’s-sponsored organization that brings youth with disabilities together with counselors for week-long summer day camps. Chrissie worked as a camp counselor throughout her time in the Upper School, then returned in the summers during her undergraduate years at Tufts University to work on the Special Camp staff.
Dr. Chrissie Massrey ‘10 at a Grenada Down Syndrome Association event.
“While volunteering at Special Camp, I developed a deep appreciation for the incredible resilience and ebullience of children with disabilities,” Dr. Massrey says now. “That experience solidified my desire to work with this population, leading me to pursue a career specializing in neurodevelopmental disabilities.”
Dr. Massrey is currently in the final year of a six-year post-doctoral fellowship in neurodevelopmental disabilities at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, earning her board certification in pediatrics, adult and child neurology and neurodevelopmental disabilities.
She attended medical school at St. George’s University in Grenada, an island nation in the West Indies. While there, she served as a student liaison for the Grenada Down Syndrome Association, a nonprofit aiming to enhance the lives of individuals with Down Syndrome. Her work initially consisted of organizing small events on St. George’s campus, but she felt a calling to do more.
“I asked the board what they truly dreamed of having,” Dr. Massrey recalls. “They always wanted a community center as a way for kids to access resources and activities, as there are not a lot of opportunities for kids with special needs on the island.”
Dr. Massrey went to work garnering support, raising more than $40,000 to help kickstart the project. Though she finished medical school and moved back to the United States, the work of the GDSA still resonates. She is now on the organization’s board and returns to Grenada each year to recruit medical students with an interest in pediatrics to volunteer with the program’s summer activities—some of which are similar to Special Camp’s work with local youth in San Juan Capistrano.
“Chrissie was a valuable member of the Special Camp staff for many years,” said Lindsay Eres ’00, Executive Director of Special Camp. “It has been incredible to see a passion, which began at St. Margaret's and Special Camp, transform into a fulfilling career dedicated to enhancing lives within this amazing community. We are tremendously proud of Chrissie and her efforts.”
A Call to Serve
Tomas Anderson Comas ‘19
On the morning of January 7, Tomas Anderson Comas ‘19 and his fellow Los Angeles County Fire Department first responders were among the first on the scene for what became the historically devastating Palisades Fire.
Tomas Anderson Comas ‘19 upon finishing training at the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“We proceeded to engage the fire directly by constructing hand lines around surrounding communities, which involves removing the fire’s fuel source between the fire’s edge and the edge of properties,” Mr. Anderson Comas said.
It was the start of an exhausting stretch for all the first responders called to duty during an unusually tragic series of fires in Los Angeles County that made headlines around the world. Mr. Anderson Comas had just recently began his work as a member of the wildland handcrew stationed at Camp 8 in Malibu, when he and his fellow first responders would take on one of the most challenging crises in California history.
In the following weeks, Mr. Anderson Comas and his team worked on a 24-hour work/rest schedule, constructing handlines to battle the spread of the Palisades Fire, as well as clean-up and reconstruction of Camp 8’s property, much of which was lost to the fire.
Even through the worst of it, Mr. Anderson Comas was doing what he felt he was meant to do. He had long been interested in a career in civil service. “As far back as Lower School, we were encouraged to be active participants in our community,” he said. “Because of the emphasis St. Margaret’s placed on the importance of serving our community, I was brought up to share the sentiment and it made me realize that caring for the community is something I wanted to pursue.”
Tomas Anderson Comas was a decorated student-athlete at St. Margaret’s.
As a Fire Suppression Aid stationed at Camp 8, Tomas and his team specialize in fighting wildfires. A typical shift involves extensive physical training, learning and honing knowledge in firefighting technology, and maintaining fire tools used across the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
His time at St. Margaret’s prepared him well for this work. Tomas was a decorated student-athlete, leading the soccer, lacrosse and track and field teams during his time in the Upper School. He played soccer at Irvine Valley College before transferring to Ohio State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2023. He then pursued his lifelong goal to work in the fire service—first being certified as an EMT, before graduating from the fire academy as a Fire Suppression Aid last year.
Being a three-sport student-athlete provided a foundation of strength and fitness that has served him well in his career, but his involvement in Tartan athletics gave him much more than that.
“Everything that I learned from being involved in lacrosse, soccer, and track and field contributed significantly to my ability to be a strong member of a team,” Tomas says. “It taught me how to push myself, showed me how crucial teamwork is to success, the value in camaraderie, and the importance of communication. All of these skills, in addition to the physical fitness being a student-athlete provided me, play a key role in my success in the fire service.”