“I was a loud personality at Flint Hill,” Lydia Russo says about her time as a member of the Class of 2006. Joining a new school community in 9th grade without knowing anybody wasn’t easy. “I had no choice but to put myself out there and make new friends,” she recalls. Lydia’s Husky memories include stories of inspiring teachers and enduring connections. “I wasn’t great at math, but Mr. VanLear’s classroom was filled with an air of encouragement that fueled my confidence.” She says it’s because of him that she joined the chess club, an experience she credits with making her a better strategizer. She also vividly remembers learning about the natural world in science class with Mr. Atwood. “He helped me see that everyone and everything is connected and it’s our job to protect goodness in this world.”
Lydia is a proud and lifelong native of Vienna. Her preschool teacher was the town mayor, M. Jane Seeman, who also volunteered at the local library. Watching Mayor Jane take on a multi-hyphenate identity in service of her community inspired Lydia. It’s something she would grow up to mimic.
Her brother, Sean (Sharifi), a 2000 Flint Hill grad, became a volunteer firefighter after the September 11th attacks. When Lydia was 18, she joined him. Her role was to organize fundraisers and assist with outreach. “There’s so much more that you can do than what you think,” she says. “I’m not on the front line, but I strive to always help behind-the-scenes and offer support to our heroes.” Unearthing a purpose in your community is the heart of Lydia’s message for the Class of 2024.
“You have the capability to build the strongest, most loving, far-reaching, and fulfilling neighborhood thanks to the values you’ve learned here at Flint Hill.”
–Lydia Russo ’06
When asked to give this year’s Commencement address, she was touched and elated at the opportunity to be in front of “the world’s next leaders,” as she calls them. “With their energy and access to resources, they’re capable of getting so much more done quicker.” Coming back to Flint Hill is also a chance for her to honor the place that had a significant impact on her life. “Flint Hill really taught me how to connect with others, and it’s the most important skill I have to this day,” she says. That’s clear considering she’s made her mark as a successful real estate agent, visionary nonprofit leader, and — perhaps most aptly — as a social media maven who sets herself apart by influencing solely
for the good of her community.
In 2019, she joined forces with her childhood friend, Christopher Drinkuth, to start a social media project that combined her love of community with her passion for food. “I’m half Italian, half Iranian, and food is a love language in both cultures,” she points out. Their Facebook group, Vienna VA Foodies, has grown to over 35,000 followers and was started to provide a virtual gathering place for all who “love the food and drinks that this wonderful small town has to offer,” as the description states.
Before being admitted to the group, members have to correctly identify Vienna’s geographic location. “We do get people who say Austria,” Lydia reports. It’s a helpful way to keep the group exclusive to the people who truly celebrate Vienna’s impressive and growing culinary scene. Group members must agree to be kind and courteous and take their critical reviews elsewhere — namely to Yelp. As conceived by Lydia and Chris, the Vienna VA Foodies group was meant to uplift small businesses like the Vienna Inn, Social Burger, and Bear Branch Tavern and showcase the delectable dishes they serve. By March 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the posts — and the group’s purpose — began to evolve.
Lydia realized she could galvanize her followers to support the two groups that were most impacted by the sudden shutdown: frontline workers shouldering the care of the community and the restaurant owners who were rapidly hemorrhaging business. She encouraged followers to keep patronizing local restaurants with takeout orders. In gratitude, those restaurants poured their efforts into supporting meal deliveries coordinated by the Vienna Foodies for firefighters, police officers, teachers, mail carriers, sanitation workers, and food-insecure families.
“I lived by the computer day and night during that time,” she recalls. “It was my healing from stress. What I knew to do was to be a helper.” In 2020, Lydia established the One Neighborhood Foundation to continue the work of serving first responders, essential workers, food-insecure families, and those who go above and beyond for the community. The nonprofit raised over $200,000 in its first year, all through social media and word of mouth. Many of her Flint Hill classmates are current supporters of her nonprofit. “They’ve been very generous to One Neighborhood as top donors and cheerleaders for the cause,” she says.
The name One Neighborhood partly comes from her Bahá’í faith and its focus on the oneness of humanity, and partly from her appreciation of Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood). “I love what he stood for,” Lydia says. “I would often listen to his commencement speeches whenever I felt lost. They were always so uplifting.”
Now that she’s the one giving the commencement speech, her hope for the next generation is to tackle whatever unforeseen task the world throws their way with the passion to do their best and the confidence to know they’re equipped to succeed. “Anyone can make a difference,” Lydia asserts. “I didn’t know this was in the cards for me when I was at Flint Hill or when I was at Marymount studying fashion merchandising, but I do know I can do this.”
She describes her life now as happy chaos. “It’s a marathon,” she says as she fields a phone request for a food delivery for a family in crisis. “It affects me mentally to know everyone’s struggles,” she admits. “I haven’t mastered properly how to not internalize things.” Between that and the judgmental comments a prominent social media presence will get you, Lydia doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that this work is hard. But she’s determined to persevere and keep her social butterfly effect going. According to chaos theory, the butterfly effect explains how something seemingly small can have a profound impact. During her Flint Hill commencement address, Lydia implored the grads to step into their potential to have that positive impact on the world.
“I stand here before you saying there is a way to use social connections to build real-world connections. You have the capability to build the strongest, most loving, far-reaching, and fulfilling neighborhood thanks to the values you’ve learned here at Flint Hill. I know it’s possible for you because that’s what Flint Hill did for me.”
Lydia says she doesn’t see herself ever moving away from her hometown. “Vienna is my heart,” she affectionately affirms. “The community will always be here for me, and I’m happy to always be there for them.”