BENVENUTI A TUTTI QUANTI!

I have been teaching at Brewster High School since 2009 as an Italian teacher for all levels, from Accelerated Italian to ECE Italian 201 through Westchester Community College. As an alumni of the graduating class of 2001 of Brewster High School, I went on to receive my Bachelors in Italian Language and Secondary Education from Pace University in 2005. Thereafter, I received a Masters in Italian Language and Literature at Iona College in 2008. Before returning to BHS as a teacher, I spent four years in different high schools around Westchester County. In the summer of 2009, while interviewing for my current position, I also interviewed for a position in a private high school in Calabria, Italy, where I was hoping to get experience working abroad. After having been offered a position to teach English in Italy, I chose to return home to accept the position, not knowing if an opportunity to work at my alma mater would ever present itself again.

Through the years, I have had the pleasure of working with so many inspiring individuals. Inspiration has also come from many of my students who have passed through my classroom. In return, I continuously work to create an inviting and culturally exciting environment in my classroom so students will share the same passion for the Italian language and culture as I do.

As Liaison of the Modern Language Department, I enjoy leading our team of dedicated teachers in working towards planning cultural events, instilling culture in lessons and working towards giving students a strong foundation in their second language. I am always excited to speak with families about our language program and the possibilities of reaching fluency and working towards receiving the New York Seal of Biliteracy during senior year.

In my years at Brewster I have shared many “once in a lifetime” moments with both students and staff through the gift of travel. I continue to look to help students gain the confidence to put their language skills to use abroad. We have traveled many kilometers around both Italy and Spain and the best part was always witnessing the personal growth of so many of our community’s sons and daughters. As many people have heard me say before: travel is one of the best gifts for our youth. It opens up their minds and transforms them into global citizens.

I look forward to continuing to explore the world’s most beautiful culture and language with our students. (I may be a little biased about Italian being the most beautiful.)