How long have you been at Bullis?
13 Years
What role or roles do you play at Bullis? If you are teaching faculty, what do you teach?
US English Department Chair, English III, and AP Lit. Teacher
What made you decide to work in an educational setting?
Reading Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, made me feel like someone actually "got" me, even if that person lived 150 years earlier. That experience, paired with the amazing English teacher in whose class I read Walden, made me know, at the age of 16, that I needed to be an English teacher as badly as I needed air to breathe.
What is your favorite thing about working at Bullis?
That my colleagues feel like family and that there's a collective feeling of working together toward something incredibly important and meaningful that will help young people shape the future.
When not at Bullis, what interests do you pursue?
Reading (big surprise), cooking, cycling, Shakespeare and Transcendentalist discussion groups.
Who is someone that inspires you and how?
My husband - his selflessness, work ethic, and dedication to others, both professionally and in our family, have influenced my approach to teaching and leading a department in countless ways.
What is the best book or production that you have read, watched, or listened to lately?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It was one of the most glorious novels I have ever read. It took me three months to finish the last 20 pages because I just couldn't bear to say goodbye to the characters and the story!
What global challenge would you like to see tackled and how do you see yourself contributing to the positive change that you desire?
Part of my job is to help young people feel capable of navigating the world around them and to see everything as a text that should be considered and analyzed. My job is not to tell students what I believe; it's to help them figure out what they believe and to empower them to shape their lives and the world around them. This work can sometimes be uncomfortable - it's easier to "cancel" something than to view the issue from all angles in a way that invites healthy discourse or to discredit or ignore ideas because they are uncomfortable to address.
What is one fun fact about you that others may not know or may surprise them?
I am in a 1997 PBS Christmas special, starring Metropolitan Opera star Denyce Graves and Elmo, as a member of the National Cathedral Choral Society.
Why would you tell a prospective family to choose Bullis?
Because their children, like my three children, will grow into confident, cared for young people who have the freedom and safety to be individuals, as well as part of an incredibly special collective whole, and who will feel capable of using their voices and skills to contribute to the world around them. I continually marvel at who my three children, and all our students, are becoming as a result of being part of the Bullis community.
- Faculty
- Parent
