Lindsay Asselin
Originally from Long Island, Lindsay Asselin attended the State University of New York and then went to get her masters in special ed at Syracuse. Over the summer she worked at Fenway Park and spent a lot of time on Cape Cod. She is also training for a half marathon.
What made you want to become a special ed teacher?
Originally I did not want to be a special ed teacher. My focus was math, and then I just saw school wasn’t as easy for me, so I saw the need for, I felt that I needed to be that person who would be the guide for students who might struggle, who are on IEPs, who just need that extra step of support. I decided to go for my masters in special ed and I just fell in love with it.
Did you like high school?
I did like high school. I feel like what I remember about high school is the sports that I was a part of. I played many sports such as tennis and track. I was also in orchestra so I played the viola from kindergarten through college. I would go to the music festivals and that was always a really cool experience because you got to meet people from other schools and its nice because it allows you to branch out.
What was your college experience like?
I liked the freedom. I think I just liked the schedule a lot. The classes were just Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then you might not have class on Thursday and it’s just freedom and independence, but a lot of it comes with responsibility. I went to SUNY Geneseo, kind of a smaller school in upstate New York.
What are your thoughts on OLS? It’s separate from the high school: how is that different? Do you feel the difference when it’s only freshmen?
For me because it’s such a big district it feels like its own school. And I think it’s in a nice way because I’ve only worked with seventh and eight graders, so it’s a nice way for me to transition to the higher levels. Eventually I would love to work with tenth, eleventh, twelfth graders, but right now I’m just getting into high school.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I am training for a half marathon, so I love and hate running. I like to read in the little time that I have, I know that teachers have a book club so I’m trying to join the book club. I love, love, love to cook and to bake. I love to make soup. It’s the oddest thing, but it’s so easy. I also love to bake cookies. I make these really good peanut butter chocolate chip, Reese’s cookies, so they are loaded.
Matthew Nock
While he had no prior experience with design, the program gave Nock the idea to make his own website in the future.
Did you have any design experience before?
I had no previous experience with architecture or anything design related, so this program was an amazing introduction to design for me. It was a new experience for me, and overall positive. I had no clue what I was doing, and [the mentors] were all very helpful and supportive.
Can you describe something that you learned through the program that you might not have otherwise?
On a broader spectrum, I learned how design is everywhere. When I normally think of design, I would think of architecture as buildings. But design encompasses way more, and learning more about that is probably the biggest takeaway for me, because the program goes in depth about the definitions of various things about design. I’m mostly interested in web design.
Are you going to make your own website in the future?
I would like to, yes. I’ve tried making one, but it didn’t work out. I had a couple friends who were also making websites for fun, so I decided to try it out. After learning more through this program, I’m going to try again and see how much better I’ve gotten. They don’t delve too deep into the specifics on certain topics, except architecture, which is what they’re mainly known for. For web design, I have to teach myself most of the coding, but they will assist me when it’s relevant.
What was it like to work with the Harvard students?
It was very interesting to get their thoughts on things. One time I was working on a homework assignment that I thought was perfect, but they gave a lot of constructive criticism. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things I would have missed. It is always great having someone more experienced to guide you a little bit, just to give you that extra push. Everybody was very supportive of everybody’s work. Even if your work isn’t that good, they still critique it a little bit, but then lift you up a lot through your work.
Audrey Garon (she/her) is in her senior year and has been on staff for three years. Audrey enjoys running on the cross country team, listening to music,...