On October 25, the annual Fund A Future event took place in NDB’s Moore Pavillon. The event is centered around NDB Scholarship’s Benefit, which raises money for future NDB students’ education. The Moore was transformed into a new luxurious dinner setting for attendees to be greeted and led to their seats by student volunteers. Student volunteers also participated in registering guests, serving food, and filming the event.
The event started at 5:30 p.m. and welcomed this year’s speaker and former student Naomi Sablan Scott ‘90. While at NDB, Scott participated in Junior Statesmen of America, which helped to set her up for her career as a producer. She then went on to school at UCLA, where she studied communications, and later attended Stanford University to study media. During her successful career, she married her husband and famous actor, Adam Scott, known for his roles in Parks and Recreation, Severance, The Good Place, and more, in 2005. She was named “Top 10 Producers to Watch” by Variety and has won awards for her success in both film and television. She started her career on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and went on to shows like Fox’s Ghosted, among other shows and feature films she produced.
She is also a gun violence prevention advocate and serves as the Co-Chair for the Center for Reproductive Rights Los Angeles benefit. Honored at this year’s Fund a Future, her role involved speaking at the event to share about how NDB set her up for an extremely successful career.
“I learned so many of the skills here that I took with me into my career, everything from being resourceful to finding mentors, which I found so many here, making connections, particularly with other women and other students,” said Scott. “So, I was incredibly lucky to go to this school, because it really prepared me for my life and entertainment.
With Epicurean catering a delicious dinner, the Moore had carpet and fancy tables to set the mood for the night. Organized by the Fund A Future committee, they worked tirelessly to ensure a perfect night for all guests in attendance.
“I would say by May, every year, we really get into the logistical planning,” said Committee Member Liz Stapleton Zerella. “There’s a lot in terms of preparing, for the assembly first, and then the actual dinner and presentation. So, we have a large committee and a lot of subcommittees that go into all the various tasks”.
Students were trained on professionalism and courtesy when serving, and parent volunteers helped to ensure the night went smoothly. Students contributed to the seamlessness of the night and benefitted from the three lunch trainings completed before the event.
“Volunteering helped me understand the importance of it because seeing how many people attended showed me how much they valued the event,” said student volunteer and freshman Cadence Goblirsch. “Also, being a part of the preparation and all of the meetings made me realize how much work was put into it”
Overall, Fund a Future shined in not only honoring the success of NDB students and their legacies after leaving the school, but also recognizing NDB’s support for female empowerment over the past 100 years. This night was an inspiring reminder of all that comes from receiving an NDB education and what is to come over the next 100 years.
