Profiles

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?

After graduating, I spent some time backpacking Southeast Asia and then moved to Boston, MA, to start my first year of teaching. I am a high school world history and street law teacher at Lynn Classical High School and love it so far. The first year of teaching is not always easy, but seeing students grow is the most rewarding experience. In about a month, I will start coaching JV boys' volleyball at the school, and I look forward to building more connections with students.

Why education?

Education quickly became my passion after taking an Introduction to Education with Professor Santoro during my first year at Bowdoin. I loved reflecting on my own educational experiences and felt inspired to make public schools a better place. I knew I wanted to enter a field where I could interact with others and enact positive change, so being a teacher became my goal throughout college. I love working to improve outcomes for all students and build strong relationships that will have long-lasting impacts.

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

My practicum placement was at Brunswick Junior High, where I learned so much from my mentor teacher and incredible staff.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

After graduating from Bowdoin I spent 6 months working on a farm in Montana before heading back to Maine to do Bowdoin Teacher Scholars in the spring of 2021. After completing the program I spent two years teaching 6th grade social studies at Gardiner Regional Middle School. My first real experience teaching was incredibly challenging but affirmed my love for education. After two years at that school, I decided to get a masters degree and move to Seattle! I am now a student at the University of Washington getting a masters in Education Leadership and Policy with a focus in Social and Cultural Foundations.

Why education?

I have always believed that justice-based education is the best long term solution to inequality. Being in a number of school settings it has become even more clear how powerful education can be when focused on justice and how harmful it can be when it continues to uphold the oppressions of our world. I feel so privileged to get to be a part of that struggle to make schools more equitable places.

What have you been up to since graduating 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?

Since graduating from Bowdoin, I completed the Teacher Scholars program as a post-grad and then began teaching English at Yarmouth High School for three years. After that, I enrolled in the Education Policy PhD program at the University of Virginia, where I specialized in the use of data science toolsets in education research. In my current position as the Director of Data Science, Research, and Analytics at Common App, I support our organization in identifying, measuring, and alleviating barriers to higher education access on a national level using data and rigorous social sciences research.

Why education?

I've loved teaching from the moment I got to try it myself, and I firmly believe that education is one of the most important levers in creating healthy communities, individuals, and societies more broadly. We are shaped in so many ways by our educational opportunities, and I think it is our duty to ensure that all people are able to access the educational resources they need to move forward in their lives.