We are grateful for our UPrep families who support the Puma Fund, which allows UPrep to respond in real-time to the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. Thanks to the Puma Fund, students can join clubs on campus, participate in field trips throughout our region, and play in our no-cut sports program. In fact, 75 percent of students played on 54 teams with 89 coaches last year. The Puma Fund makes all these things possible. Here’s why alum and current parent John Davidson ’99 prioritizes this initiative.

Tell us a little about your life today.

My wife, daughter, and I moved from California to Seattle two years ago. We’re fixing up an old house, very slowly, on Capitol Hill. I do a lot of biking, play music, see concerts, run, and ski. In my career, I’m a product manager. I’ve worked in software, mostly enterprise software in all sorts of different fields, from clean tech and financial tech to agricultural tech. 

How do you think UPrep prepared you for your career and life?

The biggest thing I’ve taken away is the desire for and joy in lifelong learning. It was critical for me to have that sense of curiosity supported at UPrep. In my career, I’m constantly solving new problems, especially as a product manager at startups. I get tapped to do all sorts of things I’ve never done before. I need the ability and the confidence to learn about something new and apply that learning—I do that daily. 

What do you carry with you from UPrep?

Friendships. Coming back to Seattle and instantly reconnecting with a bunch of my friends from UPrep has really been incredible. I relish having a community of good people around me. You know, we’re 25 or more years out of UPrep at this point. Everyone’s matured, grown up, gone through their different life paths, and we still have a lot in common.

Why do you give to the Puma Fund?

I believe in paying it forward. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to give, and UPrep is always on my to-give list because it’s a place that gave me a lot. We never planned to move back to Seattle, but now we are here, and Alina is a 6th grader at UPrep. But I’d give to the Puma Fund even if she wasn’t a Puma—it’s about my UPrep experience. I’ve always donated because I think what UPrep does matters. It’s not necessarily about donating huge amounts of money. I believe having alumni engagement is powerful. When everyone gives what they can, it’s a tidal wave.

Why did you choose to send your daughter Alina, 6th grade, to UPrep?

The biggest reason is that she’s a very well-rounded person and I want her to continue to be a well-rounded human—to have a balance of a strong sports program, strong academics, strong community connections, and socioemotional reasoning. She’s an artist. She’s an athlete. She’s an engineer, a scientist, and a reader. I want her to continue to have all those passions and have them all be supported. She’s challenged and loves going deep in subjects. She’s enjoying the dance rotation with Ms. Klein, she joined the Crochet Club, and she’s playing soccer. It’s clear that her advisor already knows the kids in his advisory, well, too.

Although UPrep has changed in many ways since you graduated in 1999, how has it remained the same?

The ethos, the quality, and the enthusiasm of the teachers and staff. Every single person there is excited to be there. All the teachers bring excitement about what they are doing, and they care about igniting that passion for learning. While the school’s physical plant has changed dramatically, that piece of why UPrep was founded in the first place hasn’t changed. The Founders—some of whom were my teachers—started this school because they wanted to create a great teaching and learning environment, and that environment is still here.

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