Alumni Spotlight: Jack Londono '17

We sat down with Jack Londono and his father, longtime RCS Maintenance team member Carlos Londono, before Jack started working as an investment banking analyst at Centerview Partners in Manhattan in January.

Jack joined RCS in JPK; he was a lifer. Wrapping up his ninth grade year in June 2017, he won the Stanley M. Ferret Mathematics Award, the Wadleigh W. Woods Latin Prize, the Jane Brooks Robbins Science Prize, the Susan Fiala Music Prize, and the Rippowam Cisqua Prize — the highest award conferred by the School. Just to give you an idea of Jack’s academic prowess.

He also made some of his closest friends at Ripp, Luke Malcolm ’17 and Jack Sulam ’17.

“We’ve been together since first grade,” Jack said. “We grew up at Ripp. I see them whenever I can during break and we’re all very, I don’t want to say competitive, but we have always wanted to succeed, even to this day.”

They stay in touch and check in on how they’re doing and how they can help each other.

“The relationships that you create here are like no other,” Jack added. “I’m actually rooming in New York City with another friend from Ripp, Will Greve ’17.”

Reflecting on RCS and the teachers who had the greatest impact on his life, Jack said the first one to come to his mind was his science teacher, Chris Perry.

“He prepared us well. A lot of the things he taught us applied to subjects other than science. This might seem weird for an educator in the science field, but he taught us how to structure things in a way that was mechanical and fluid, and that was very efficient when it came to other subjects.”

From Hotchkiss to Cornell

After graduating from ninth grade at RCS, Jack entered Hotchkiss School as a sophomore.

“It was a great opportunity and I don’t think I really would have considered boarding school if I hadn’t gone to Ripp,” Jack explained. “I gained independence there and it prepared me well for college.”

But the transition from RCS to Hotchkiss was still work and a bit of an eye-opener because it was high school. Jack wasn’t living under his parents’ roof, he was meeting new people, he was acclimating to a new environment — and it was hard.

“I struggled in a lot of classes, but I pushed myself. I took AP Chemistry my first semester of my first year and I excelled in it. I don’t know, I was just driven to do well in that class and I really enjoyed it. But I also think I was just prepared for it.”

Jack graduated from Hotchkiss in 2020 and entered Cornell University’s business school, the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. He studied there for three years and graduated as a junior.

“I sort of accelerated my timeline,” Jack said, smiling.

Why finish Cornell in three years?

For Jack, it was a personal decision, like pushing and challenging himself. In his last two semesters, he was taking 21 and 22 credits, which was a heavy workload. He admitted that a lot of people questioned why he wanted to leave college, but he saw that he could graduate in three years and he decided to do it.

“I’ve seen how hard my dad — both my parents — worked for the opportunities I've had. And college isn’t cheap. I was proud of it. I thought it was only fair.”

Volunteering for SEO

Jack became involved with SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) at Cornell, a program that provides dedicated training to prepare undergraduates for internships that often lead to full-time jobs across Wall Street, commercial real estate, technology, and corporate America.

“SEO is a great non-profit organization that helps diverse students find jobs in the corporate and professional world, where there sometimes is a barrier to entry,” Jack said.

Jack continues to be a part of the SEO community now that he’s out of college, creating opportunities for future students, and giving back.

Working at Ripp

The summer after eighth grade, Jack started working at Ripp, and he continued to do that through his senior year of high school.

“Even after I graduated from Hotchkiss I worked at Ripp in the summers, doing everything: painting, cutting grass — you know, working hard. It was a good experience. And that work experience also served as a great talking point for a lot of the conversations I had during my recruiting process for jobs.”

The influence of a father

“I think a lot of it is just leading by example, right? What you see in your household is sort of what you become, and what you learn from. My dad has always worked a lot. I think that just instills values in you to do the same, to be motivated, to strive to be better. We’ve always had a good relationship. I’ve always had the confidence to go to him for anything. That’s always been very special.”

And the special relationship of a grandfather

Jack built his Capstone project, a scale model of the Ninth Grade House, with his grandfather, a skilled carpenter and woodworker.

“My dad helped, too,” Jack shared, “but my grandfather was the mastermind behind it. He was really gifted.”

Mr. Perry was his advisor for the ninth grade project, and that, Jack said, was also special.

The Capstone project offers considerable freedom, and Jack initially found himself uncertain about his direction. But he was sure that he wanted to incorporate a family aspect into it.

“It’s a lot of generations that have led to where we are today, right?” Jack reflected. “It’s not just what we do, but also what people before us have done. We owe our past generations to succeed and build on their hard work, taking opportunities and making the most of them.”

Jack’s advice for current eighth and ninth graders

“It's really important to just enjoy the process. People are so fixated on the future outcome: What boarding school they’ll get into, or later on, what college they will go to. But if you get too caught up in the future, you’ll always be chasing that next step instead of enjoying the moment.

It’s really special to be present and get to know as many people as you can. Learn as much as you can while you’re at Ripp. Create the foundation that you need now to succeed in the future.”

Back