Emily McDowell MAT’18

Emily was initially drawn to the Mount Holyoke College M.A.T.L. program because she was looking for a program that would fit her interests (leadership and education) and her family needs (nearby or virtual) and she was thrilled to discover that Mount Holyoke met those criteria.

Emily McDowell completed her M.A.T.L. in 2018. She is currently the Associate Director of College Counseling at The Williston Northampton School. Emily was initially drawn to the Mount Holyoke College M.A.T.L. program because she was looking for a program that would fit her interests (leadership and education) and her family needs (nearby or virtual) and she was thrilled to discover that Mount Holyoke met those criteria.

For Emily, the most valuable aspects of the M.A.T.L. program were the connections she made with teachers all over the world, and the growth in her confidence as an educator and leader.

Of her ability to balance the demands of being a college counselor and a graduate student, Emily said, “The virtual options have really matched the needs of my busy life working at a boarding school. When I started to feel overwhelmed, I reminded myself that I knew it would be tough at times, and that I had wanted this experience for so long. By modeling continuing education for my students and my own children, I showed them how important education and growth are in life.”

For her Capstone project, Emily designed a course (with two classmates) on the topic of the Triple Threat (teaching, coaching, residential life) at Boarding Schools for the MATL program because she was eager to share more knowledge and experience around topics specific to independent schools. Emily’s coach was Leslie LaRocca, M.A.T.’17.