Finding Her Fit: Stevie Schweitzer ’16 on Growth, Change, and Building a Career That Feels Right
Not every path is linear, and Stevie Schweitzer ’16 is the first to tell you that’s exactly the point. Her story unfolds through a series of thoughtful pivots, each one bringing her closer to work that feels both meaningful and true to who she is becoming.
There’s something powerful about growing up in a place that grows alongside you. For Stevie Schweitzer, Class of 2016, Carrollwood Day School wasn’t just where she went to school, it was where her story began to take shape, year by year, hallway by hallway.
“I feel like my experience was unique to an already very special place,” she shared. “I grew up at CDS. I started there at 2 years old at the lower campus and essentially grew with the school. Most of my childhood memories are centered around CDS; either in the classroom, doing after school activities or playing in the halls after everyone left for the day.”
She remembers the evolution vividly.
What began as a small, outdoor campus transformed into something much larger, yet never lost its center.
“As the school grew and things started to change, there was always this grounding center on the education and principles,” Stevie said. “Whether we were playing in a grass field in elementary school or sitting in a brand-new lounge, the teachers and staff always made sure we kept our focus.”
That sense of consistency, paired with encouragement to explore, followed Stevie into her next chapter at the College of Saint Rose, where she studied International Marketing while continuing her volleyball career. The decision felt natural. “I chose Saint Rose because it had the same look and feel as CDS, with small classes,” she explained. Her interest in marketing was shaped early on, inspired by watching her father’s career in global sales and marketing.
In college, Stevie found herself drawn to the details behind the scenes. During an internship with Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., she worked on marketing for trade shows, helping design and build booths from the ground up. It was a hands-on experience that stuck with her. She leaned further into that interest the following year with Air Culinaire Worldwide, gaining exposure to both sales and marketing.
After graduating in 2020, she returned to Tampa and stepped into a role that challenged her in unexpected ways. Calling clients, maintaining relationships, and hearing firsthand about their experiences gave her valuable perspective, even as she realized what didn’t fit. “I liked calling and hearing different client experiences,” she said, “but I hated the sales side of the job.”
That clarity became a turning point. In the uncertainty of 2020, Stevie made a bold decision to leave what was comfortable and move to New York City. There, she joined Holt Construction as a business development coordinator, stepping into a role that required both structure and creativity. With no formal systems in place, she helped build out processes for tracking and managing sales efforts. It was problem solving in real time, something she found herself genuinely enjoying. The work was collaborative, fast-paced, and tangible.
Still, her path continued to evolve. When a former colleague reached out about an opportunity at Creative Office Resources, it felt like another step into the unknown. She took it. Now a project manager, Stevie has found a role that brings together everything she valued in her previous experiences, without the parts that didn’t fit. The work is client-facing, detail-oriented, and deeply human. “There is such a human element to the job that I love,” she said.
Looking back, it’s clear that the foundation she built at CDS shaped the way she approaches both challenges and opportunities.
“The teachers and staff always made sure to guide and support us,” she reflected. “Whether it was academics, big life decisions or a specialty interest we were looking to break into… you knew that someone was always willing to help or steer you in the right direction.”
Some of her favorite memories come from moments that extended beyond the classroom. School trips, collaborative projects, and shared experiences revealed new sides of both her peers and herself. “Probably when I went on school trips or did individual projects,” she said. “It was always super fun and felt like we were actually exploring and experiencing the things we had learned about in the classroom… I think the special projects were where we got to learn the most about ourselves and other people.”
And, of course, there are the moments that simply make you smile. “7th grade,” she laughed. “The whole year was hilarious and awkward and funny.” When it comes to traditions, one stands above the rest. “Fun Friday the Friday before Spring Break. LEGENDARY! We always had a super cool fun water day outside and went to play sports. It was the most exciting way to start spring break.”
From those early days on campus to navigating careers across cities and industries, Stevie’s journey reflects a willingness to try, to pivot, and to keep moving forward with intention. It’s a path built not on a straight line, but on curiosity, experience, and the confidence to choose what fits.
We love sharing our alumni achievements with the CDS community. If you are a CDS Alumni and would like to share your accomplishments, please contact our Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Carli (Gauthier) Mianne '16 at cmianne@cdspatriots.org and let us know what you have been up to since leaving CDS. We look forward to hearing from you!