Donna Kayarian-Chiacchia Uses Bequest to Help Future Students “Achieve the Honorable”

For more than 30 years, Donna Kayarian-Chiacchia has supported Worcester Academy’s Annual Fund. Now, through a bequest in her will, she is making a lasting investment in the Academy’s future.

A member of Worcester Academy’s historic Class of 1975, the year the Academy switched to co-education, Donna was among the school’s first six female students. Recruited by then-Headmaster John Bloom, Donna joined a school community that recognized and encouraged her artistic ambitions while challenging her academically.

“In a school known for rigorous academics, Mr. Bloom truly respected the arts,” Donna recalls. “That mattered deeply to me as someone pursuing my dream.”

After graduating from Worcester Academy, Donna earned a master’s degree in performing arts from the International Academy of Performing Arts and danced professionally for many years. Later, Donna built a successful career in management consulting and now leads her own firm, 1Advantage Consulting.

Reflecting on her Worcester Academy experience, Donna says the school’s motto, Achieve the Honorable, remains central to her life. “No one ever defined it for me. I had to figure out what it meant on my own. That was the gift.”

Donna says her planned gift is about creating opportunity. “WA gave me a real edge,” she says. “I want future students to have that same foundation, those same connections, and the chance to build lives of purpose.”

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