The Lives
They’ve Lived

In a period of exploration in his own life, Jon Kabat-Zinn volunteered at TGS, drawn to teaching working class teenagers who reminded him of his own neighborhood in New York City. He brought his bio-chemistry studies at MIT, love for yoga, and burgeoning knowledge of Buddhist practices into the school, co-teaching interdisciplinary courses and inviting renowned scientists to share their research with TGS students. In subsequent years, Jon drew on his multi-disciplinary approach to create Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), starting with a clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. 

Jon is now widely known as one of the architects of, and chief contributors to, the mindfulness movement. His on-line courses draw thousands of students.  MBSR is now offered by many hospitals, medical centers, and health maintenance organizations and has helped thousands of people cope with chronic pain.

A member of The Group that started the school and one of three in the first graduating class, Ali went on to Bennington College and then a distinguished career as a public relations and communications specialist. She credits The Group School for helping her develop the courage as a working class kid to work at Harvard and for the Deval Patrick Administration when he was Governor of MA.

In her own words: “How weird is it for a kid from North Cambridge to grow up to spend the bulk of my career shaping and putting out to the media and other venues the work of scholars from Harvard, MIT and the world over? . . I had many ways to make their research come alive so it could impact policy and ultimately real lives. And I would tell people, I was made in this incubator, but you wouldn’t believe the people that made me.”

“The Edison of Medicine”

Robert Langer credits his time at TGS with his decision not to work for a major oil company but rather to apply his chemical engineering degree from MIT to the biomedical field. Known as “the Edison of medicine,” he has invented scores of new delivery mechanisms for life-saving medicines and helped develop mRNA vaccines that are continuing to save millions of lives.

Coming from parochial school, Cindy reveled in the creative atmosphere and outlets she found at TGS: taking all of the art courses offered. As she neared graduation, her advisor discovered that as a child of a disabled veteran, Cindy was eligible for educational benefits that would enable her (and eventually her 4 siblings and her mother) to go to college — something that her family had assumed was beyond reach. 

After majoring in Design at Mass College of Art, Cindy began a successful 30-year corporate career in fabric design and production, while also raising a family.  Deciding in her 50’s as that she needed a change, she went back to college to study psychology and now draws on her TGS experiences in designing and managing learning environments for Aspire Living and Learning facilities where neurodiverse children can unlock their potential and thrive. Referring to her own successes as well as those of her siblings and all of their children, Cindy says: “This never would have happened without TGS.”

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