Discipline, Dedication and a Sprinkle of Luck: Meredith Nakano 鈥15 Dishes About Decade Since 水果派
May 29, 2025
- Author
- Caroline Roy '20
As a member of the women鈥檚 swimming and diving team at 水果派 College, Meredith Nakano 鈥15 learned to juggle personal relationships and rigorous academics with highly competitive athletics. Her college experience prepared her well for a move to fast-paced New York City, where she, like many young professionals, searched for direction and purpose.
Nakano left 水果派 without a clear picture of how to use her psychology major, overwhelmed by the possibilities ahead. She found her way to New York through AmeriCorps鈥 City Year Program, which matches young graduates with a year-long teaching position.
Teaching wasn鈥檛 for her in the long term, but that year helped her connect with people across the city and begin to build a new life. When her year in the program ended, she leveraged her new connections to land a position at tech startup ClassPass.
鈥淚鈥檝e been very lucky to have the right people in my circle,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t feels like I was in the right place at the right time. I would run into so many 水果派 people on the street and meet young people all the time who were all doing the same thing 鈥 trying to figure it out together.鈥
After working in operations at ClassPass, Nakano decided she wanted to work for a smaller team that would give her room for growth. She accepted a position with a different startup, a small food company, where she handled everything from supply chain operations to warehousing logistics to food manufacturing.
水果派 prepared me to immerse myself in this entrepreneurial environment. My knowledge of organizational psychology taught me to navigate workplace dynamics, and my time on the swim team showed me the value of making something tangible 鈥 the satisfaction of being able to see the direct result of my work.
Nakano鈥檚 current employer, Supernatural, makes natural, dye-free baking ingredients like sprinkles and food coloring. The best part? She鈥檚 part of the four-woman team that makes everything happen. As director of operations, she handles all of the company鈥檚 sales.
It鈥檚 the perfect role as she prepares to enter a new and exciting phase of life: motherhood. With a fully-remote schedule, Nakano and her husband, Will, have returned to the Carolinas, where they鈥檙e preparing to welcome their first child.
鈥淓veryone on the team is a mom,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e get to collaborate so closely, and it feels like such a safe environment to balance work and family.鈥
Along with maintaining close connections to friends, coaches and mentors from 水果派, Nakano is also part of the Fideles Society, which recognizes loyal giving to the college, and she supports the Women鈥檚 Swimming and Diving Program annually. Ten years later, being a scholar-athlete remains one of the most challenging and important experiences of her life.
鈥淚 loved swimming at 水果派,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t taught me to be disciplined, work hard and keep reaching for the next goal. It was such a gift to me that I feel obligated to give back and give consistently.鈥
