Van Gemert Passes on Passion for CDH

By Ellen Murphy '22, Communications Apprentice
December 8, 2021

Sean Van Gemert graduated from Cretin-Derham Hall in 1996 and returned in 2020 as the new Admissions Director. Coming back to CDH amidst a pandemic wasn’t easy, but Van Gemert was excited to take on the challenge. Because of the pandemic, the Admissions team had to suspend shadow visits and get creative with other ways to show off CDH to prospective families and students.

Last year, they stuck to giving family tours, but this year they have implemented a new program called “The Family Raider Experience.” Families are invited to campus in the morning for a tour, then have lunch all together, and the prospective student is invited to shadow a current CDH student for the afternoon. 

Before returning to CDH, Van Gemert was working at a company called UBS. At that job he learned a lot about relationship building that is extremely important in his role at CDH. He has really enjoyed his time at CDH because he was working from home from the time the pandemic hit until he started at CDH and was happy to be able to work in person for the entirety of last year and this year. 

While Van Gemert was a student at CDH he enjoyed his Spectrum class senior year. “You can tell the teachers at CDH really care about the students and want the students to do well,” he said. 

Math teacher Cindy Craighead taught Van Gemert when he was a junior and remembers him being talkative, which is extremely important when creating relationships with prospective families. “He was extremely outgoing and talked plenty.”

While showing students around CDH, he is always extremely inviting and has lots of energy which makes families excited to send their children here. Because he was a student here he has a unique view of CDH.

"Mr. Van Gemert ignites each and every tour of Cretin-Derham Hall with passion, experience, and complete knowledge. There isn't a better person to welcome future Raiders to campus," said Laura Weiss, Admissions Associate and Teacher.

He shared that his goal for CDH is to get the number of incoming students back up to where it was in past years. He is excited to continue sharing how much his time at Cretin-Derham Hall benefited him and seeing future generations of Raiders benefit as well. He loved his time at Cretin-Derham Hall and wants to ensure future students have a similar experience.

After high school, Van Gemert went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He loved playing sports and continues to golf in his free time. He also spends time coaching ninth-grade football. He loves to spend time with family and friends at the lake. 

Ellen Murphy '22 is a Communications Apprentice. She sees herself as creative and a leader, and is also a member of the volleyball team, math team, and involved in The Chronicle. She is excited to share her writing and ideas with the broader CDH community.