Alumni Spotlight: Alex Kehoe '19 and Cydni Coppage '20

Tell us what you have been doing since graduating from Rabun Gap.

After Rabun Gap, I went to Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville, VA, and graduated in May
of 2023 with a degree in economics. After graduating from Hampden-Sydney, I moved to
Richmond, VA, and now work as an investment banker doing mergers and acquisitions.
Cydni went to Georgia College in Milledgeville, GA, where she graduated in May of this year
with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After we get married, Cydni will move up to
Richmond and work as a registered nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Intermediate Medical
Care Unit.

Tell us about your love story.

Cydni and I met when my brother, Sam, came to visit Rabun Gap. Ashly drove me to the
airport to pick Sam up, but she didn’t tell me Cydni was coming with us. We dated for a
little over two years in high school and continued long distance through college. In
In December 2022, both of our families went on a Caribbean cruise, where I proposed to
Cydni after six and a half years of being together. We’re getting married on July 13th of this
year with Ozu as our officiant!

What is something interesting about you that we wouldn't find on your resumes?

Alex: I’ve visited countries on five continents.

Cydni: I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field when I dissected a shark
in my 7th grade science class at Rabun Gap.

How did Rabun Gap help to prepare you or influence your future goals?

Alex: Coming out of Rabun Gap, I was a better writer than a lot of the people I went to
college with. Hampden-Sydney places a lot of emphasis on effective rhetoric, and I was
extremely well prepared.

Cydni: The diversity at Rabun Gap taught me that everyone has a unique background and
understands the world a little differently. People have their unique circumstances and
challenges to work through. Keeping this in mind reminds me to be kind to everyone I
meet, because you never truly understand what someone else is going through.

Is there a specific faculty member, dorm parent, or coach who had a particularly
important impact on you?

Alex: I don’t know what my life would look like without Ashly Coppage. She and Jason
opened their home to my brother and me and welcomed me into their family. Ashly’s
kindness and positivity has touched the lives of everyone who has been lucky enough to
pass through Rabun Gap during her time there, and she was a source of happiness in my

life even before Cydni and I met. Ashly has given the Rabun Gap community so much love
and guidance, and the school is blessed to have her.

Cydni: Heidi Spoon and Shaun Lakey had the biggest impact on me during my time at
Rabun Gap. They pushed me to try things outside of my comfort zone and helped me
become the best version of myself. While at Rabun Gap, I developed many skills thanks to
these two, but one of the best things they gave me was confidence in the things I was not
sure about. Because of them, I feel much more at ease about trying new things and being
myself.

What advice do you have for current Rabun Gap students that you wish someone had
told you during your time at school?

Alex: True, unadulterated self-awareness is unachievable, but pursuing it will make you
better in all aspects of life. Don’t be afraid to look within and confront the ugliest parts of
your character.

Cydni: Don’t be afraid to try new things at least once and be optimistic about new
experiences. You don’t know what you might enjoy and what you might be good at unless
you try. You should also take this advice with you to college. If you try everything at least
once, you will not regret putting yourself out there and trying new things, and you will be a
better human because of it.