Austin Carriere '16

Life doesn't always go as planned.

Growing up, attending Newman wasn't part of my original plan. However, thanks to the welcoming Newman family after my acceptance, going to Newman became my Plan A. Being a Newman student was one thing, but becoming a member at large and the school's first-ever homecoming king was certainly not something I had anticipated. Graduating from Newman in what I believe to be one of the best classes of all time (shoutout to the Class of 2016) and attending the University of Oklahoma—a state I couldn’t confidently point out on the map—was also not part of my plan. All I knew was that I wanted to study Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians). With the support and love from the Newman family, I felt confident in my abilities, as Mrs. Jenny Williamson, Sally Uzee, and Angelina Catalanotto always encouraged me by saying I could achieve anything I wanted in life.

In college, my plan was to enroll in a doctorate program for Herpetology after completing my undergraduate degree. However, along the way, I fell in love with cameras and creating sports content. A worldwide pandemic was certainly not in anyone's plan, so after graduating during COVID—where half of my senior year was online, and my graduation celebration took place on Zoom with my family—I decided to embrace the unexpected theme of my life. I applied for an internship with a creative production company in Denver, CO, a place I had never been. Unexpectedly, a gut feeling led me to choose this internship over one with the NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks. During my three-month summer internship, I experienced things and visited places I never thought I would. To my surprise, my internship was extended by four months and then again until the following May. Grateful and blessed beyond measure, I was simply happy to be there, living a life that was certainly unplanned.

Before I could complete the internship, an opportunity arose to leave early for a full-time content producer position with the NBA team, the Denver Nuggets. It felt like an unexpected chance that I couldn’t pass up. Who wouldn’t want to work for one of the best teams in the league alongside one of the best players, traveling the world and capturing the moments that NBA basketball brings? Now, two years into this unique job, life has become even more unplanned. I had the privilege not only to witness but also to lead digital video content for the first-ever championship run in the history of the Denver Nuggets, along with a 3x NBA MVP.

Embracing the unexpected is a mindset I learned from Isidore Newman School and the community behind it. I didn’t know what to expect when I attended Newman, but the people, relationships, experiences, and lessons I learned from being part of Newman have shaped my life. The support and love from the Newman family made me comfortable with the idea that I didn’t know what would happen next and that everything would work out for the best as long as I worked hard and handled my responsibilities.

I will always be grateful for the lifelong connections and knowledge I gained during my time at Newman. In high school, you often focus on what’s next and forget to appreciate where you are or where you’ve been. My journey has taken me to amazing places while doing life-changing things, and I can thank my family, God, and Newman for helping me conquer the unexpected.