What are you doing professionally?
This fall I will be teaching fifth grade in the Bronx and am actually co-teaching with a fellow alumni/friend!
How did Sarah Lawrence College prepare you for this career?
Sarah Lawrence has given me so many skills. I always tell people that my education was not only informative, but it changed me as human being. Specifically for this career, Sarah Lawrence has taught me the importance of communication and self-motivation.
What internships and other activities did you participate in while a student at Sarah Lawrence College?
I did many things at Sarah Lawrence, I was fortunate to be part of so many communities. I was a Resident Advisor, participated in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee as a member, vice president, and then president, I was a member of the varsity women’s volleyball team, captain for the latter three years, I was a Real Talk facilitator, I served as a TA, volunteered for the Child Development Institute and Community Partnerships, and more.
Why did you attend the Art of Teaching Graduate Program?
I decided to apply for the Art of Teaching five year program because I wanted to learn how to be an educator under the same values of education I was being taught under, the values that kept me grounded and taught me what it meant to stay accountable, reflective, and critical.
What brought you to what you’re doing today?
I went to Sarah Lawrence and like many people, I did not know what I wanted to be. I knew what I was told I needed to be and what my family wanted me to be. I was first a member of the pre-med program. Halfway through sophomore year, I began to volunteer at a nursery in Yonkers. Having missed doing work for the community, I walked into Community Partnerships at the beginning of my sophomore year and told them that I wanted to work with children, it did not matter what age, I just knew that I needed to work with them. Once they had placed me, I knew immediately after my first day that I wanted to teach. I stayed pre-med until the day I applied for the program having gone through loops in changing my mind about becoming a doctor. I had student loans looming over my head and I knew teachers did not make a lot of money but, I had come to the realization that being with those children was the most natural thing. I had been with children all my life as the eldest of six, having worked with them through a variety of capacities in middle school and high school, there had been signs that this was what I was meant to do, signs, I did not see until that day. Though I still stress about the financial bit, I know this is what I love.
Do you have any advice for current Sarah Lawrence students considering a career in education?
Never do anything you don’t want to do and whatever it is you’re doing make sure you love it, really, really love it, and don’t settle for less.