New Teacher Developer Chelsea Public Schools 
Chelsea, Massachusetts  

I am the New Teacher Developer for Chelsea Public Schools, a school district just outside the Boston area. I support a specific niche of first year teachers – those who did not go through a traditional teacher preparation program and are changing their careers into education. My goal is to retain the highest-of-need teachers by providing direct one-on-one support to them through coaching, mentoring, and engaging with a cohort of others like them in the New Teacher Academy program that I launched. Although it is the pilot year of this program, I have about 30 educators who I support. One way I connect with my cohort of educators is reminding them that I was also a career changer. My education at Austin College gave me a holistic view of the world and pushed me to think about what it takes to be a good educator. I was given the privilege of working with great mentors at Austin College—Don Rodgers, Bernice Melvin, Patrick Duffey to name a few. Through their support, I was able to graduate cum laude in international relations and public health and teach in Malaysia for a year with a Fulbright Scholarship. My Fulbright was my first experience being a classroom teacher, and what ultimately influenced me to teach for the next coming years as a sexual health educator and a classroom teacher. Because I built authentic relationships with my professors, they encouraged me to apply to graduate school, and I moved to the Boston area to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Education. My professors at Austin College modeled to me what it takes to be a good mentor, teacher, and global citizen. I am forever indebted to Austin College and its amazing professors for shaping me in my most formative years.