On any given day, you can find Landon Plunkett minding the gap to take the Tube to work in the morning or taking afternoon strolls in London’s Hyde Park. A former 2016 graduate of Marcus High School, Plunkett reflects on the unexpected adventure that brought him from Highland Village to his new home halfway across the world.
Landon’s focus growing up spanned a wide variety of interests, balancing academics, athletics, and social commitments such as serving as class president at Marcus HS to competing at the national level in soccer.
"Throughout middle school and high school, I never had a clear goal on what I wanted to study. My career ambitions ranged from veterinarian to prosthetic surgeon to civil engineer, clearly a broad spectrum of professions. However, I want to emphasize that it is perfectly fine and normal to not have your degree of study or career path planned out before attending university. I believe this is a testament to the strong academic curriculum and dedicated teaching staff boasted by LISD,” says Plunkett.
After graduating MHS, Landon attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known for its diverse and international community, he knew this path would offer an unparalleled opportunity to broaden his horizons.
"Studying such a long distance away from home was never my intention," says Plunkett. “However, by relocating to an environment far different from suburban Texas, whether it be the cold winters or political/cultural atmosphere, I came to realize the power of pushing one's boundaries and learning to become comfortable with the uncomfortable."
At Harvard, Plunkett held fast to some of his previous interests such as playing goalkeeper for the university’s varsity soccer team, serving as rush chair and president of his fraternity organization, as well as working as a calculus course assistant for the mathematics department. He also took advantage of new fields of study and opportunities to learn more about culture, religion, language, and psychology.
“By exploring such a broad array of subjects, I was able to learn a little about a lot of things, rather than a lot about few things. I believe this helped make me more well-rounded as a person and academic, allowing me to converse with peers in different fields of study with confidence and a keen interest, rather than pigeon-holing myself into one subject, leaving me close-minded to the inspiring interests of those around me,” says Plunkett. “Ultimately, during my undergraduate years, I developed some of my closest friendships with international students from across Europe and Asia which led me to where I am today - working in London, UK.”
Following graduation in the spring of 2020, Landon returned to Dallas to work in finance, focusing on bankruptcies, mergers, and acquisitions in the renewable power industry. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, being close to family and friends provided a sense of comfort and stability during uncertain times. However, Landon’s desire to work and live internationally never dissipated. In the summer of 2022, he landed a job in London. He now works at an international investment firm focusing on underwriting the acquisition of commercial real estate properties across Europe and spends his free time making weekend trips to other nearby countries and exploring its extensive history.
“I am now coming up on two years in London and could not be happier nor more grateful for the opportunity to work in an international capacity alongside coworkers from across Europe and the world,” he says. “Needless to say I'm loving life in London!“
Reflecting on his time at LISD and the beginning of this journey, Landon also expresses gratitude towards the district and LEF community who helped support him, specifically the endowers of the Bruno John Zimmerer Memorial Scholarship and the Highland Village Lions Foundation Scholarship, which he received as a high school senior.
“I could not be more thankful to have been a recipient of an LEF scholarship and benefit from the impact it had on me and my family by alleviating the financial burden that comes with attending college. I owe much of my success to the generosity of the LEF donor community and would not be where I am today without their benevolent impact.
LEF and the donor community open doors that otherwise would remain shut, paving the path for the remarkable students of LISD to change the world for the better. I encourage LEF and the donor community to continue expanding its outreach and look forward to the day when I can open doors for students the way in which LEF was able to for me!”
