Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a teacher?
A: My favorite thing about teaching is that it is a people business. That’s what I loved about my former career in sales, and teaching gave me an opportunity to double down.
Q: How was the experience of joining THS in the middle of the first semester?
A: Joining Trinity has been nothing short of awesome, even if it happened at an unusual time. How a place welcomes its newcomers says so much about the underlying quality of the place. From my first interview to now, I have had nothing but positive experiences, something that I suspect has to do with Trinity being exceptionally well-managed and supported by the community.
Q: What classes do you teach?
A: I teach AP Computer Science Principles and Personal Finance. Next year, I look forward to adding Accounting, International Business and Entrepreneurship to the list.
Q: Do you feel like you have bigger shoes to fill because you replaced a previous teacher so suddenly?
A: I have a ton of respect for my predecessor, Mrs. Migyanko, a fantastic person (who I have had the pleasure to meet) and a top-notch educator, but I have never felt any sort of pressure to fill her shoes. I put plenty of pressure on myself to perform as it is.
Q: Are you teaching the classes you teach any differently than they were taught in previous years?
A: Yes, this is only my second year as a teacher, so I am constantly experimenting with new ways of teaching. Curriculum-wise, I have reworked some of the content from my previous business electives into an investment unit for Personal Finance. My general philosophy is to let student interests drive my course. Thankfully, Trinity students seem to have a healthy interest, bordering on obsession, with the stock market!
Q: What is your favorite thing about working at THS?
A: I am able to teach students about the eighth wonder of the world: compound interest. My goal is to create an unusual number of millionaire Trinity graduates.
Q: Where did you work before moving to THS, and how long did you work there?
A: I worked at Citigroup for 12 years, where I sold emerging markets fixed-income products, including bonds, foreign exchange, interest rate swaps and structured products. I also taught English and Business at California Area High School.
Q: What made you want to pursue a career in education?
A: A pandemic “ah ha” moment that I wanted to move back to Pittsburgh, enjoy being with my family as much as possible, and find a new and fulfilling career.
Q: What makes you bring so much energy to the classroom?
A: I am flattered by this question! Teaching is a lot of fun, simply put. That probably has something to do with it.
Q: Do you have anything you would like to add?
A: Nope, time to teach class.
