Career Path of a Teacher at a Public High School
Vanessa's career path began with a shift from English to Psychology at Saint Mary's College, driven by a professor's insightful observation about their writing. After considering clinical psychology, a Teach for America presentation during the 2008 recession and witnessing disparities among college students sparked a two-year teaching stint in Jackson, Mississippi, ultimately leading to fifteen years in the profession.
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Motivational Stories, Higher Education, Teaching
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Vanessa Bobbitt
Teacher
Public High School
St. Mary’s College of California
Eastern Kentucky University, Educational Leadership
Psychology
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Vanessa's career path highlights: 1. An intuitive college professor steered her toward Psychology, showcasing how mentorship can shape academic direction. 2. A Teach for America experience, undertaken during a recession, provided invaluable teaching experience and exposed her to socioeconomic disparities in education. 3. Combining her psychology background with her teaching experience allows her to deeply understand and address student needs.
2. Another possible highlight: She transitioned from a non-education major to becoming a teacher after college, showing career flexibility.
3. A third highlight: Vanessa's decision to apply to Teach for America on a whim demonstrates how unexpected opportunities can lead to fulfilling careers.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
Sure, so I went to Saint Mary's College of California and majored in Psychology. I started as an English major, but an intuitive professor pointed out that all my papers had deep character analysis.
He suggested I pursue something geared towards people, so I became a psychology major. I loved being able to quantify people and their experiences.
From there, I decided I wanted to go into Clinical Psychology and looked into Child Development programs nationwide. In the middle of that, I attended a presentation about Teach for America. This was around the 2008 recession, in November.
I applied kind of on a whim. At the same time, I was the chair of the academic honor council at Saint Mary's and saw a disparity between first-generation college students and those with family guidance in higher education. That experience aligned with Teach for America's mission.
My interest was piqued, so I decided I would teach for two years, thinking, "How hard could it be?" It turns out it's the hardest thing in the world. I taught for two years in Jackson, Mississippi. That's where I met my husband, and I'm now going into my 15th year of teaching.
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