February Alumni Connection

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The February Alumni Connection

A VANGUARD ALUMNI LOVE STORY

Good study habits and a drive for knowledge wasn’t the only thing Andrew Pennington and Madeleine Chenot Pennington found at Vanguard. They also found each other.  And while a Vanguard love story is not unusual, technology made this start of the Pennington’s story a little different than in decades past.

“Andrew and I texted each other all through eighth grade, but barely spoke a word to each other when we were together,” Madeleine said. “Thinking about it now, it’s kind of embarrassing!”

Somewhere between freshman and sophomore year, however, the shyness wore away, and the two began dating.

“We were each other’s Winter Glitter and Corrigan dates all through high school,” said Madeleine. “I don’t think I missed a single one of Andrew’s basketball games without a #32 [his jersey number] on my face.”

After they graduated from Vanguard in 2007, they went their separate ways for college: Madeleine to the University of Arkansas; Andrew to Baylor University.

At Baylor, Andrew said that the study skills he learned at Vanguard helped him tremendously as he pursued his degree in finance and economics. He now works for Northmarq Capital in Dallas as an Investment Analyst.

In addition to study skills, Madeleine found that her teachers had taught her additional valuable lessons in high school.

“Vanguard taught me about the importance of communicating with my teachers one-on-one, which was something that benefited me greatly at Arkansas, where many of my classes were very large,” she said. “Also, I was one of the few people in my freshman English class who had ever written a research paper!”

Madeleine earned her degree in Child Development, then completed a practicum and internship before becoming a Child Life Specialist in the neonatal intensive care unit at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

Reuniting after college, Andrew and Madeleine were married in the Fall of 2011.

This past December, they welcomed twin baby girls, Elizabeth Mills “Libby” and Margaret McCall “Margot,” to their family.

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