Stephanie Preston Domas ’05 accepted Columbus Academy’s 2024 Young Alumni Award during the school’s annual Senior Alumni Board Luncheon on April 23.
Stephanie is the chief information security officer at Canonical, the maintainer of the world’s most popular Linux operating system Ubuntu. Previously she was the chief security technology strategist for Intel and led two successful cybersecurity businesses after graduating Cum Laude from The Ohio State University with a degree in electrical and computer engineering.
The event welcomes the graduating class to Academy’s Alumni Association, and Stephanie’s message was directed toward the class of 2024.
“All of you are embarking on the next parts of your journey and they are full of risks, full of unknowns and full of doorways that you’re going to stand in front of and freak out about whether or not you should walk in them,” said Stephanie while explaining how she determines if a decision is a two-way door that allows you to turn around and walk back through it, a truly one-way door that you cannot reverse course on or a one-way door that can be made into a two-way door if you recognize it and are intentional about it up front. “I hope that this framework helps you be more comfortable walking through some of those doors, and I hope that the risks you do choose to take lead you somewhere really awesome.”
Alumni Board President Mandy Mallott ’03 emceed the luncheon that also included recognition by Director of Alumni Relations Michael Haddock of this year’s student alumni board representatives: Zaina Albirini, Tommy Jauchius, Stella Lee, Grace Philip, Ellie Smith and Henry Wood.
Many members of Academy’s Alumni Board participated in the progressive lunch program, which involved seniors switching tables during the three-course meal and engaging in conversations with each table’s alumni representatives.