Hometown: I grew up in Woodstock, CT, just down the hill from WA!
Currently Living In: Boston, MA
WA Class of: 1994
Best WA Memory: I saved up my babysitting money my junior year and participated in an exchange to Merida, Spain. WA students and their families hosted Spanish students from Merida in the fall and we traveled to Spain in the spring for three weeks. We spent a few days in Madrid as a group with Senora Kantor, one of our Spanish teachers, and then took the train to Merida where we all lived with our Spanish families for two weeks. It was an amazing experience. I loved living with my Spanish family, learning about the culture, eating delicious food and seeing historic sites including Roman ruins. As an added bonus I got to know the other WA students really well on the trip too, not to mention my Spanish improved so much in those short weeks! It was life changing.
Favorite Teacher: This is a tough one! I liked so many of my teachers, but Mr. Graseck was really terrific. I had him for Freshman History and again for Modern European History my senior year. He made history come alive and he encouraged our curiosity-not to mention he was very funny! I also have to give a shout out to Mr. Izbicki, our librarian! He was such a good librarian and so patient with all of our shenanigans before homeroom and during lunch our senior year!
After Graduation: After I graduated from WA I went to Beloit College in Wisconsin (I did my junior year abroad at the University of Glasgow in Scotland) and got my undergraduate degree in Anthropology with a minor in Museum Studies. Later, I went to San Jose State University in California and got my Master's Degree in Library and Information Science. Since graduating from college, I've spent time living in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Today: I'm now a librarian at MassBay Community College in Wellesley, MA and it is my dream job. I also enjoy spending time with my pets, a dog and a cat, and I love to travel. I particularly like to go places to see animals in the natural habitats. I just got back from a trip to Singapore and Borneo in January, where I was lucky enough to see orangutans in the wild among many other animals.
WA Takeaways: My trip to Spain during high school helped me realize the world is much bigger than just Northeastern Connecticut and I want to explore it as much as I can!
Advice for Future Centaurs: WA is not only a great school academically, it also helped me to discover who I am as a person through the trip I took as well as the extracurricular activities I participated in. I would encourage incoming students to explore all of the student clubs and groups that interest them because you never know what direction they could take you!
