Q & A
What experiences at college informed where you are today?
Throughout my time at Trinity College, I participated in, and eventually led, an adolescent mentoring program for Hartford high school students. Those students’ high school experiences were very different from my own, just 30 minutes away in a different Connecticut town. My curiosity and frustration with this disparity played a large part in inspiring my career in urban education and educational equity.
What was a major lesson you learned during the corps?
One quote that sticks out to me when I reflect on my time in the corps is, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” This was true when it came to all stakeholders in the building - students, families, teachers, aides, you name it.
What do you wish others knew about TFA that might surprise them?
TFA is fun! I think people understand the hard work associated with teaching, but there’s also so much love and joy that goes into working in a school community. I also had a lot of fun with my fellow TFA ESL corps members at class every week. We were a huge support to each other during and I’m still in contact with many of them ten years later.