Exploring the many paths to a career in education

I came into my first year at Mount Holyoke expecting to major in something like biology. It only took me a semester to realize that I didn’t actually want to devote my life to biology, so I came back to a little dream I had held in the back of my mind: becoming a teacher. I fell in love with the Department of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke after finding professors who went above and beyond to support me, peers who shared my excitement and passion for education, and a community that felt like home in the best possible way. 

That is why I was so excited to join some of my Psych and Ed peers on a Career Development Center TREK to Boston in early October to explore different careers in the field of education. Our day started bright and early at the CDC, the tired energy in the room almost outweighing the buzzing excitement for the day ahead. The two-hour ride to Boston gave us some time to wake up before our first stop at the John D. O’Bryant School of Science and Mathematics. 

The O’Bryant School is a public exam school, meaning students have to test into it. They serve students in grades 7-12. Despite the name emphasizing STEM, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they take a liberal arts approach to education with strong humanities and arts options as well. We met our first alum, Yunjung Han O’Connor ‘14, who has taught science at the school for over nine years. She arranged for us to observe classes in a variety of topics from theater to geometry and AP psychology, before we enjoyed a lovely reception with some of the other teachers at the school. We observed lessons that centered their shared humanity and classrooms that were decorated with student work, uplifting their ideas as important and worthy, and I left the visit impressed with the clear level of care the teachers showed for their students. 

Our next stop brought us to one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever seen, the Boston Public Library, to meet with Gianna Gifford ‘92, the chief of adult library services. We ate lunch while a panel of library staff members introduced themselves and answered questions about their positions and experiences. This panel offered a wealth of knowledge, featuring people from a variety of roles at the library, including circulation services, teen and children services, and community workforce outreach. What struck me most was how they discussed the library not just as a source of information, but rather as a community center, highlighting their career counseling, social work, outreach, civic engagement, and news and technology literacy programs. They are truly creating a third space to combat the loneliness and apathy so many of us feel. We were then treated to a tour of the library, which left me thoroughly impressed with the library’s teen and children’s areas. It was clear these were not an afterthought, but rather designed with such intention to create spaces children and teens would actually use. It was touching to see children and teens treated with such respect and kindness. 

Our last stop took us to Simmons University, where we met several MHC alums. Our host was Mollie Metevier ‘02, an assistant professor of practice in the school’s MLIS program. She was incredibly kind and willing to answer so many of our questions, given her impressive and varied career in numerous education positions, including a middle-school classroom teacher. We attended a panel about some of Simmons’ graduate school programs in the field of education, and then had the chance to converse with several Seven Sisters alums currently pursuing their master’s degrees. It was such a great opportunity to hear from students themselves about their grad school experiences. 

The Career Development Center Education TREK was a wonderful way to learn more about the field of education in a variety of settings. I am still planning to pursue the elementary teaching license during my time at Mount Holyoke, and after the TREK and seeing Mount Holyoke alums thriving in education, I am also considering eventually getting a master's degree in Library and Information Sciences. I am so thankful to Professor O’Carroll and Shannon Bigelow for attending the TREK with us and to everyone who helped make this experience possible.