Finding Balance with Work and Play: Christina Chintanaphol ’09
Michelle Andrade, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
One skill we hope to instill in our students at Ensworth is the ability to find balance in their daily lives. The curriculum, student life, clubs, arts, athletics, and afterschool activities are intertwined thoughtfully.
As adults, many can relate to the challenges of balancing personal life, home, work, and play. Ensworth is committed to fostering the skills necessary to obtain such harmony through exposure, education, support, and intentional fun.
We had a conversation with one of our alums about such topics. Christina Chintanaphol ’09 attended Northwestern University, earned her Pharm.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, and now works in the Medical Device industry. Professionally, Christina is a pharmacist by training, working as a Senior Medical Writer in the healthcare industry. Creatively, she is a freelance photographer, having done portrait and group sessions, professional headshots, and small events. In her personal creative world, she enjoys exploring paper crafts, various paint mediums, and ceramics. She shares how influential her time at Ensworth was, helping her find passions she could never have imagined and a job that truly offers her fulfillment while continuing to give back and offer support to those coming into her field of work.
Christina remarks that she is “most grateful for the community and ample opportunities” Ensworth has to offer. “High school is a time when we develop as young adults. We start to understand who we want to be, and the extracurriculars we partake in help us dive into our passions.” Christina played violin for musical productions and took photography classes at Ensworth each year. She recalls the process of developing film in the dark room. “I know I would not have gotten this opportunity elsewhere. These classes are what fueled my interest in this creative field.”
“I have always loved capturing moments on a camera from a young age. Still, it was only after I took photography classes in school and built a solid foundation around the technical side of photography that I became attached to honing my craft behind a lens, whether film or digital. I love that there is always something new to learn on my camera and from interacting with the people I photograph. On top of that, I feel very happy and fulfilled when people express joy after viewing their captured memories.”
The Harkness table discussions were also part of her memory, recalling the skills she established with open dialogue to be more confident in her opinions and ideas. “I believe the values Ensworth instilled in us as students made me more intentional in crafting my career path. When searching for jobs, I looked for companies whose missions aligned with mine-—helping others lead better lives and living and working with integrity.” Thinking about values is something she learned at Ensworth.
“While training for my Ironman 70.3, I occasionally thought about the mandatory fitness classes we took all four years of high school. Although we, as students, complained at the time, it has made my fitness life so much easier as an adult.” Finding physical wellness and balancing it with all aspects of life is pertinent. Ensworth introduces various fitness classes in hopes that it translates to a variety of fitness post-high school. “I am thankful that the fitness classes at Ensworth instilled healthy habits in me for a lifetime, along with developing my sense of discipline and consistency.”
Getting from where you are to where you are going takes more than discipline and consistency. It takes people. When one is supported in an effort to succeed, they have what they need to pass on those skills to others. Dr. Crystal Miller was one such person for Christina. “I worked on my Capstone project with Dr. Miller during my senior year. She was such a huge help in finding a research experience for me at Vanderbilt University,” Christina recalls. “I was able to work alongside Ph.D. students as a high schooler, which prepared me well for science research in my undergraduate years.” Christina knew the support and care were there during her time at Ensworth, propelling her forward in endeavors beyond Ensworth. “She invested in my interests and my life after high school. She wanted to see me succeed, and her support allowed me to see all the possibilities I had for a career in the sciences.”
Christina and her Capstone Sponsor, Dr. Crystal Miller
Part of our Mission emphasizes students being contributors to society, and students learn this by watching others and receiving support. “Unknowingly, I began to enjoy mentoring undergraduate and graduate students as I started my career in the medical device industry,” shared Christina. “I know how influential dedicated support can be,” and thus, she continues to try to support the students she mentors as Dr. Miller did for her.
But all work and no play surely does not foster balance. The intentional incorporation of fun in life at Ensworth is evident. Spirit Day Assemblies, House Competitions, and community and athletics events are only a few examples. Still, teachers also integrate fun into their classes and present opportunities for students to find time to play. Christina remembers how much joy she had in her photography classes, specifically. “I had so much fun with these classes—I remember spending some time after school in the dark room and on the weekends working on my own photo projects outside of the required assignments.”
“It’s not easy to balance it all, but it makes for a fun life!” she shares. She elaborates that things constantly change. “I find that what I do in a given year or season depends on my goals for that specific time.” Some years, she has focused mostly on her full-time job, preceptorship, and wellness. Other times, her photography and musical art pursuits have the opportunity to take the helm. The priorities of the time may leave other interests on the back burner, but it also gives her hope that she can come back to them when things shift. “The time management skills I learned in high school have stuck with me through today. Lots of planning, to-do lists, and staying organized! Google Calendar and my bullet journal are my organizational best friends!”
When Christina applied for jobs after pharmacy school, she reflected on her life goals and current life values through an exercise she learned from Payal Kadakia (founder of ClassPass). “I created personal and career goals, listed all my strengths in the workplace, and reflected on the values that were most important to me at that time. I thought about what kind of life I wanted to live and how my career path after graduating from pharmacy school would influence my life’s direction.” Today, she has been at Medtronic for more than four years. “I love utilizing my strengths within the medical device field, knowing I am helping improve patients’ lives with our devices.”
In addition to her career, Christina enjoys photography, playing music, cycling, and Ironman 70.3s. She is also a preceptor for the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy rotation students. She manages students’ experiential learning in the medical device industry and mentors them through various career development topics.
The spirit of a place is evident. If enough people believe in something, it becomes a truth. If enough people believe that truth, it becomes a culture. A culture passed from one generation to the next is a tradition. Everyone came together in support of the vision and In Search of Truth.
Ensworth is committed to providing our students with access to the latest technology and an expert faculty. The new Creative Technology Center at the High School, featuring an engineering-oriented instructional space, a full-service broadcast suite and control center, a dedicated home for the Robotics team and arena, a podcast studio, and a well-equipped digital media and computer science classroom, opened in the fall of this year.
