Breck Alumni

Welcome to our New Online Community!

Welcome to the new Breck Alumni Association website. Our mission is to connect and engage alumni to foster a mutually supportive relationship with each other and Breck School.

Since this is a new website, EVERYONE will need to register and create a new password to access the Alumni Community webpages.

This site is designed to be a valuable resource for connecting and reuniting us as an Alumni community. It is your one-stop information center for alumni news and upcoming events. We hope that you will use this site to connect with your classmates. 

Once logged in you can:

  • Search our secure directory to find classmates and old friends.
  • Read and update class notes.
  • Receive news and messages specific to you as an alum.
  • Network with alums in your area, career field, or industry.
  • Update your personal profile with address, phone and email changes. Note – the content of your personal profile is secure and is not viewable on the public website.
  • Register for upcoming alumni events. Join us online! Eric Jones ’94President, Breck Alumni Association

Alumni Profile: Rob Nelson ’03
From Cambridge to Kabul: Harvard Grad Reflects on Life in Afghanistan 

Rob Nelson ’03 studied foreign policy as an undergraduate at Harvard, a postgraduate at St. Anthony’s College Oxford and a staff member at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, but he’s now living it every day. As a special assistant to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, he is traveling throughout the country and getting a real-world lesson in development, diplomacy and security.

One of the most striking – and most difficult – things about Afghanistan is its geography, Rob says. "The southern portion is desert, so there are serious issues with water, land use and farming. The northern part is mountainous, which poses challenges for military mobility and infrastructure projects. The main cities of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat are doing quite well. But it will take a long time for that level of development to spread across the entire country.”

When he’s at home in the embassy compound, Rob lives in a small trailer that was converted from a shipping container. "I’m fortunate to have my own trailer,” he says, "and life here is comfortable enough.” The compound itself is growing "massively,” he observes, thanks to the civilian as well as military surge.

And when he travels he has the opportunity to appreciate both his own situation and the conditions in Afghanistan. Says Rob, "I feel that I’m contributing to the debates within our government, and it’s very interesting to be able to see those debates from within. And it’s remarkable to see very clearly and poignantly the impact that the U.S. and our allies are having on the lives of the Afghan people.”

For example, he observes, "Looking at a spreadsheet of projects is one thing, but meeting girls going to college, seeing the opening of a new health clinic, watching transactions in a marketplace: these are all things we support that really make a huge difference.” Rob says the fundamentals he learned at Breck are never far from his mind and he remains close to many of the people he met here. Not surprisingly, many of them remember him, too.

Upper School History instructor Tim Rosenfield says, "I am sort of torn trying to decide what to admire first or most—his intellectual prowess or good character. His clarity of mind was only matched by its depth; and both found ready expression in extraordinarily muscular and cogent prose. It was a lot of fun being in his company as his inquisitiveness and good humor were contagious. He struck me as a most purposeful individual; you knew he was going to be involved and influential in things that mattered. But would it be pitching a perfect game or getting himself appointed to a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States?”

And Upper School English instructor Memry Roessler put it this way: "Rob is one of those visionary students who drift through your life every now and then, illuminating the edges with his energy and intellectual curiosity. He is the embodiment of our school's mission statement and makes me proud to be part of his life in some small measure. At a time when so many adults are lamenting the self-absorption and myopia of our young people, Rob demonstrates how little it takes to turn one's gaze outward. His decision to work at the edge of his competency is testament to his strong commitment to making a difference in the world. Leaving the familiar to explore the unknown for little reward save his own growth as a learner and global citizen is a magnificent legacy.”

So what’s next for Rob when his assignment in Kabul comes to an end? "What I think I will strive to do is have some kind of workable balance between expeditionary work and policy work based more in the halls of Washington. I would like to pursue scholarship as well if I can. It’s a remarkable life, and I feel very fortunate to be living it.”