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Why did you double major?

• Bachelor of Arts in Math Secondary Education and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a minor in Physics, �����ؿ���Ƶ University
• Masters of Education degree with a focus on School Administration and Educational Leadership, Cabrini University
• Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Gwynedd Mercy University

 

When you were a student here what did you do with that degree? Did you know?

Honestly, I really only went into the sciences because it was so math heavy and then I found out that I really enjoyed it, so it paid off.

 

What would you have done as a backup?

I always thought I wanted to be a teacher, so I came in as a Math, Secondary Ed. Major. But, then I would hear horror stories about student teaching and how they hate it, so I wanted to have a back up as well. That is why I got the Chemistry and Physics concentration also.

 

What is your current employment?

I supervise Math for a large school district in Lower Bucks County in the Pennsbury School District, which I am actually an alumni from. When this job popped up, I was in an Assistant Principal position elsewhere. My mentor was retiring at the time and it was an opportunity to throw my hat in the ring, so a full circle moment and it is the best job I ever had.

 

How is it to be back at your alma mater? Is it weird?

It was a little weird in the beginning because I was supervising teachers that I had as a student, but we got over that pretty quick. The department here is amazing and the talent of teachers here is by far the best I have ever worked with.

 

Did you think you you would be in a position like this when you were a student?

I always knew I would be in education. I don’t know that I saw myself in administration because back then I was like “I want to be a teacher and work with students every day”, but we make plans and God laughs, so after teaching for about six years I knew that I needed to do something else. I felt like I hit a ceiling and that is when I went into administration.

 

What kind of challenges has COVID presented to you right now in your position?

I think the one takeaway from this year is that the value of face to face direct instruction is that you cannot put a price on that. That is for all student K-12, so I think there is a new appreciation for teachers. Long overdue and rightfully so. These teachers are working harder than they have ever worked before, they are not batting and eye, they are pushing forward. I’ve been really inspired by the team that I work with in that regard. So, it’s been a challenge, but also the takeaway has kind of been the silver lining.

 

Are you guys virtual right now?

At the moment we are hybrid. We started the year fully remote and then brought students back little by little. Then the light at the end of the tunnel, in April all students will have the opportunity to be back four days a week, which I can’t wait for these building to become more alive with that.

 

What makes you most passionate about the work you are doing?

I think I always go back to, like “I don’t have to do this. I get to do this.” I think when you go into education with that mind set it’s such a blessing to be able to do that. So, that’s kind of always been my mind set throughout my career. That’s kind of what keeps me focused and also not on my own goals, but like at the end of the day what we do is we want to nurture the lives of the students in our classrooms. I kind of think of it as education is like turning a mirror into a window. You can see your reflection in the window, but you can also see past it, whereas a mirror you can only see your reflection. I think if we can do that for students for the time in front of us, I think that is the greatest gift we can give them.

 

Do you have any current service work that you are doing either at �����ؿ���Ƶ or within your community?

Since I left my traditional role teaching, I work with a group of like five gentlemen from the city of Philadelphia who want to pursue a career in a STEM activity and this is the second group of students I’m working with. We get together once a month and just talk about our goals and we how we are going to meet these goals. The first group of students that I worked with, they are all now graduated and they are all either in post-secondary school in a STEM field or they are working in the STEM field. It was really great to see that group of students, who were all the first in their families to go to college, to take that opportunity and grow. That’s something I do and it also keeps it fresh for me. I think that’s why we get into education. I’m not teaching right now, but that’s my way to kind of stay connected.

 

What impact has you �����ؿ���Ƶ degree had on your career thus far?

I would say it really was the gate way to where I am now. I mean, I started at �����ؿ���Ƶ in STEM majors and then I took that and morphed it into the field of education, then in the field of education I really found my niche with math and I guess to work with students, parents and administrators. That really is the dream job for me. Working with all these different people and the one common goal of democratizing math for all of our students, which in the past could be a bit of a gate keeper, but really my career at �����ؿ���Ƶ started that. From there with my degree I started teaching and the last 12 years are history.

 

What was you involvement when you were on campus as a student here?

When I was a student there, I was highly involved in the math and science program. I was in the Science association. I ended being the President of the Science Association, which I know is still a very active club on campus. I was also heavily involved in the honors program and the honors club. I was the President of that as well. Those were my two academic niches and then I was also an RA (Resident Assistant) for three years, which was so much fun. I made life long friends doing that. I have so many fond memories of that.

 

Do you have a favorite memory from campus?

Honestly, I think some of my fondest memories are when they would bring the student leaders back early and we would do workshops and activities. Just being with each other before the school year started. It was just a lot of fun. So, I would say that.

 

Do you have a favorite tradition from campus?

I’m a big believer in coming back as much as possible. I love Margaritaville and all my friends like to come back for that as much as we can. The last one I went to though was interesting because it was like, “Wow, I don’t know a lot of these people.”, which is you know a sign of getting older. That is one tradition that sticks out to me.

 

Can you tell me an interesting fact about yourself?

I would like to consider myself someone who does a lot of things that don’t necessarily go together. I love to cook and bake. I love education. I love to do karaoke or should I say ‘garyoke’. If that’s an interesting fact, I’m not sure. I like to have my hand in a lot of different pockets. I feel like it makes life more interesting.

 

Do you have a food that you love to make that is a staple in your life?

Everyone in my life would probably say cupcakes and I would agree with them on that. I had a small business that I ran out of my condo when I was a teacher and then as I got more involved with my career that fell by the wayside. I still do it as a passion project. I like to bake for my friends and family and those people that I love.

 

What's one piece of advice that you wish you had known when you were a current student here that you wish you could tell a current student?

I would say that, if you are a freshman walking in on your first day of school, College is an opportunity for you to reinvent yourself and be whoever you want to be. Take every opportunity and give it the respect it deserves. I truly mean that. Get your feet wet with everything, try everything, do everything possible in those four years, so that you have a wealth of experience to go off of. If you start doing that in college you are just going to build that habit for the future without a doubt.