Susanna Gorski Bartolomei ’01

Susanna Gorski Bartolomei ’01 doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind. She fondly recalls the independence she felt as a student at Fort Worth Country Day, harkening back to the early Core Values posted in the Lower School, using the mnemonic device PRIDE for politeness, respect, integrity, discipline and excellence. From her earliest days at FWCD, these values were instilled in her, helping build her confidence and ensuring she was always thoughtfully working toward becoming the best version of herself. 

While Bartolomei is certainly one of a kind, which you can see in her fun sense of fashion and quick wit, she credits FWCD’s faculty and staff with making an impact on her. “The quality of the faculty is unmatched, and every teacher leaves an imprint on you in a way that shapes who you are as a human, across all things,” she said. “Whether it’s intellectual skills, like writing or reading comprehension, or who you are with others, they model and encourage behaviors and push you to be your finest self.” 

Teachers like Chuck Maddux, Claire-Lise Knecht H’03, and Suzanne Lewis come to mind for her, but it’s her College Counselor, Enid Russell, who stands out most. While she was sitting in English class, Russell walked in and told her to come to the College Counseling Office to meet with a Middlebury College Admission Representative. “I never thought I would get into a school like Middlebury,” Bartolomei said. “I knew [people] who had applied and been denied and thought there was just no way.” But after an hour of one-on-one time with the representative, she was sold. “I remember my mom saying when I got home from school that day, it was like I had met the man I was going to marry,” she added. “I had completely fallen in love with it, and that’s where I wanted to go.” 

Bartolomei earned her undergraduate degree in art, architecture and French from Middlebury, and she credits it all to Russell, who, she said, “set me on the path for my future by doing her job, doing it well and with integrity.” 

After attending college on the East Coast, Bartolomei never thought she’d end up back in Fort Worth. However, today she is proud to call Fort Worth home, and, as a top realtor in the city, she still holds close the values she learned at Country Day, noting that you can’t guarantee others’ behavior in business, but you can hold yourself to high standards. And she’s especially grateful to her FWCD classmates and friends who have become clients over the years, all relationships she does not take for granted. 

Bartolomei considers herself an ambassador for the city in her role as a realtor. She’s started a series on social media called “Love Letter to Fort Worth.” In these videos, Bartolomei shares fun facts and favorite places around the city, including many she learned about during a Fort Worth History Tour she took in sixth grade with Maddux and Upper School Teacher Jon Shipley. The tour highlighted the hidden gems around the city, such as the Trading Oak and Trading Oak Park on St. Louis Avenue. The series has proven a valuable outlet for Bartolomei to share both her extensive knowledge of Fort Worth and her love of learning that was fostered at FWCD.

Now, as a parent at the School, Bartolomei appreciates that the unmatched faculty has remained a throughline at FWCD. As a member of the Alumni Council, she is eager to give back to the School and alumni community. Most recently, she was featured in an alumni video series distributed across various digital platforms, including YouTube, streaming TV, and social media, to reach prospective families, alumni and the broader community. 

For Bartolomei, FWCD is a community that continues to shape her life. From the Core Values instilled in her and teachers who impacted her, to the College Counselor who helped her find her path to college, to classmates who remain friends and clients, the connections she’s made have endured.