Alumni Profiles

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

Since graduating from Bowdoin, I have been teaching high school social studies. I currently teach 9th grade at Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine.

Why History?

I find it fascinating to explore how the past informs the present and how we can learn from history to create a better future. I’m particularly interested in unpacking how different historical topics and eras—though they may seem distinct at first—connect and intersect. I’ve loved sharing this passion with students and helping them explore these connections so they can better understand how the world came to be the way it is today, as well as the many ways they can take action to shape it into the place they want it to be. My learning as a history major has directly influenced my path. I regularly apply both the content and skills I gained in my courses to my work with students.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

I had such positive experiences in my classes that it is hard to pick just one. I feel particularly grateful to my education professors—Doris Santoro (former professor of education), Chuck Dorn, Katie Byrnes, Nancy Jennings, and Ken Templeton (former professor)—for their immense support and guidance both throughout my time at Bowdoin and in my years in the high school classroom. I am also thankful to my advisor, Professor of History Dallas Denery, for his wisdom and advice as I navigated the history major. His European history seminar allowed me to expand my skills as a historical researcher, writer, and critical thinker and I regularly think about skills he taught me as I try to better my teaching of history. I also have a great appreciation for Frank A. Munsey Professor of History Page Herrlinger. I was lucky enough to not only learn from Professor Herrlinger as a student at Bowdoin in her class about Germany in the interwar years, but also to return to Bowdoin as a teacher a couple of years ago to engage in her NEH seminar (co-taught with Natasha Goldman, former Bowdoin professor of art history) about teaching the history of the Holocaust through visual culture. Her approach to using a range of primary source types has inspired me to try to expose students to various source material and to support them in drawing historical conclusions based on close analysis. Finally, I would like to thank Geoffrey Canada Associate Professor of Africana Studies Judith Casselberry, whose Protest Music class completely changed the way I think about how historical studies can intersect with the arts—an approach that I have tried to bring into my own work in the classroom.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

I would encourage anyone interested in education to consider entering the teaching profession. For those pursuing teaching, I’d urge them to believe deeply in the potential of young people and to not be afraid to share their passions in the classroom. Students are inspired by genuine enthusiasm, and bringing your whole self to the work can make a lasting difference.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

After graduating in the spring of 2023, I spent the fall working as a teaching fellow at Waynflete in Portland, Maine, co-teaching linear algebra and precalculus. I also helped run the school’s Math Lab and supported students with their math work. In the spring of 2024, I completed Bowdoin Teacher Scholars at Deering High School. Most recently, I began my master of education through the Independent School Teaching Residency program. I’m currently teaching 7th and 12th grade math at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri, while simultaneously earning my degree through the University of Pennsylvania. I will complete the program and receive my graduate degree at the end of my second year.

Why education?

I entered college completely unsure of what I wanted to do with my future. After taking a few introductory classes in the education department, I realized what a special field it is, and that I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. Thanks to my amazing math teachers in both high school and college, I knew I wanted to help students enjoy math and move past the anxiety that many often feel. 

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences at Bowdoin that had a lasting impact on your interest in education?

I took Contemporary American Education with former Professor of Education Doris Santoro my first semester of college, and I was hooked on taking more education classes! I genuinely enjoyed all of my classes and professors in the education department and learned something new from each course I took. Two classes that have been particularly impactful on my practice were Teaching and Learning and Curriculum Development with Associate Professor of Education Alison Riley Miller and Barry N. Wish Professor of Social Studies Charles Dorn.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in working in education or education-adjacent fields?

Take the risk! Every day brings new challenges, but that’s what makes the field so rewarding. I learn something new each day, and I’m excited to see what the future holds as I continue learning from both my colleagues and my students. There are so many people in this field who are committed to helping you become the best teacher you can be.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

I originally had plans to go to the Peace Corps and be a Youth Development Specialist in Morocco. For personal reasons, I decided to withdraw my offer over the summer. Upon graduating from Bowdoin, I directed a summer youth development program for 9th graders in Cambridge and Boston through the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA). In the fall, I joined Foster Progress as the program coordinator, assisting two programs: Mentoring & Scholarship and Y-Cap, an initiative dedicated to connecting students with experience in care and fostering peer-to-peer advocacy.

Why education?

I was initially drawn to education because of personal experiences in Charter and Public School in Chicago—many of them negative. I have a passion for youth development and access to education. I’m continuously looking for ways to do more as someone from my community and a beneficiary of many of the organizations I've come back to work alongside.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

Since graduating in May of 2022, I’ve been spending time with friends and traveling around the East coast. My friends and I are all about to move to tons of different places across the country, so this has been our last chance to spend time together for a while. This is also my first summer since high school with no job and no responsibilities, so I'm taking time to relax and spend time with friends and family before I start my job in August. After that, I’ll be working as a teaching resident at Steamboat Mountain School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This will allow me to observe and learn from experienced teachers, while also beginning my own journey as an educator in a place that allows me to explore and grow in and out of the classroom.

 

Why education?

I came to Bowdoin with little idea what classes I would take first semester, let alone an idea of what I wanted to study or do with my life. But coming to college opened my eyes to a ton of problems and issues that our world is dealing with that I hadn’t previously had to think about. I didn’t know what I wanted to study but I quickly learned that I wanted to use my privilege and education to make an impact on the lives of as many people as possible while also trying to address massive problems like systemic racism or climate change. Through my courses, I developed a belief that education is the starting point to solve almost all of these problems and that by improving the education we give to our youth, we can produce a generation of people who are better equipped to tackle these problems. This belief that education is the key to addressing problems and improving lives is the reason that I chose to study it at Bowdoin and the reason I hope to pursue it for the rest of my life. 

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

For now, I've been doing some relaxing and getting prepared to study for the MCAT, which I'll be taking in January 2023. Later during the summer of 2022, I will begin working at Kennedy DSay School, which is a school for children with physical and neurological disabilities. It's operating out of Franciscan Children's Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts. I did get to tour the school recently, which was really fun, and I'm looking forward to starting soon! 

Why education?

I took Introduction to Education at Bowdoin as a way to fulfill one of my distribution requirements. I was personally interested in that subject, so I figured I would give it a try. I absolutely fell in love with it. I can remember that there was one specific class where we were talking about how IEPs—Individualized Education Programs—and special education programs work, and it clicked for me that this was a great way to combine my interest in working with children with my interest in neuroscience. I really love the idea of helping to educate children with special needs, because it's an underserved population. I realized that there is so much more to study in the field of education than I had previously understood. Everybody gets an education to some extent in this country, and the extent to which that's a proper education is widely varied depending on where you are and what sort of access you have to proper education. I think it's something that is worthwhile for everybody to have a baseline understanding of: how education works in this country and how we can all work to provide a better education to students all across the country and globally.

What have you been up to since graduating Bowdoin?

I graduated from Bowdoin in May of 2022 and recently started a job at a fashion retail company called Rue Gilt Groupe! I am an entry-level buyer in the accessories department where I work with vendors to get flash sale events up on site. Outside of work, I am enjoying exploring Boston and love to find time to swim and visit with friends! 

Why education?

The education department at Bowdoin is filled with the most wonderful professors who see their students as whole people. They are passionate, thoughtful, understanding, and kind and they truly make learning fun and engaging! I think that education is unique in the sense that every student can contextualize the content they are learning in education courses by drawing on their own schooling experiences. I loved that everyone came to the education courses with unique perspectives and experiences in schools, but that we could all easily relate to the issues and content that arose in class. The opportunities to go out into the field to talk with administrators, observe teachers, and teach students were some of my favorite and most powerful learning experiences at Bowdoin. Great educators can truly make all the difference in students’ lives, which is why education is such an exciting, compelling, and essential field!