Meet Our Teachers

Introducing Breakthrough Manchester’s twentieth summer faculty!

From 126 applications for this prestigious summer internship, these aspiring teachers were chosen to lead and inspire our community of learners this year.  Please come visit Breakthrough this summer to see them in action!

Autumn	Breakthrough Class of 2008School: Rochester Institute of Technology Teaching: Math Favorite Books: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Fearstreet collection I love art! Any kind of art, I love painting mostly. I just became an avid runner and gym buff. I became vegan last year and so I spend a lot of time now trying new recipes and love cooking now. I can’t wait to be back in NH and meeting all the new 6th graders. I really am just looking forward to the new experiences and memories to be made. I am going to school for interpreting for the deaf but I have now decided that I really just want to teach. I’m not sure if I want to be involved with Deaf education or not, but definitely teaching.  This is my second summer teaching, but I have been involved with the program since I was 11, when I was a student in the program. I have stayed involved since the experience impacted me so positively that I support the efforts and love the experience.
Jose	School: University of California – BerkeleyTeaching: English Favorite Books: Lolita and The Giver I enjoy playing soccer and reading classic, contemporary novels whenever I have the time to do so. I also enjoy taking pictures and walking around.  I am looking forward to meeting the challenges that Breakthrough will present me this summer.  I want to meet those challenges and overcome them, as I tend to learn many valuable lessons from this coming summer. I would like to be a twelfth grade high school English teacher, preferably teaching an AP course.  The subject, preferably, would be modern American literature. I really enjoying scenery and hiking, so if there are any nice places around Manchester I would really like to know.  I do not have preference between mountains, lakes, forests, architecture, and historical markers of a town.
Sam	Breakthrough Class of 2007School: University of New Hampshire Teaching: English Favorite Books: A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Giver I love reading! If I could I would spend an entire day outside reading under a tree – or climbing the same tree! I also really like dancing, hiking, and watching movies with friends. Out of all things, though, I think my favorite thing to do all of the time is to laugh. Laughter just brightens any day – and there’s always something to laugh about! I am looking forward to seeing all of the members of the BT community. Whether it’s the 7th graders that I’ve missed since last summer, the new 6th graders that I’ve been anxious to meet, or the incredible faculty and staff, they are so amazing and I am so excited to be in this community once again this summer. My dream job would be to become an English teacher, but if that doesn’t work I think I’d also want to try to become the first tap dancer on the moon.
Brittany	School: University of PennsylvaniaTeaching: Math Favorite Books: the Harry Potter series In my spare time, I really like to hang out with my friends.  When I’m at school in Philadelphia I like to go out to eat, explore the city, play flute with different groups, and work with kids.  When I am in New Hampshire, I like to hang out with my family, go out on my boat on Squam Lake in Ashland (I love waterskiing), and watch excellent chick flicks!  My slightly improbable dream job is to invent something awesome that everyone likes – like the light bulb, the cell phone, or Dippin Dots!  However, I think that my skills are better suited for other things.  If I had my more practical dream job, I would be the principal of a highly democratic high school.  I can’t wait to meet everyone!
Brendan	School: Pomona CollegeTeaching: English Favorite Book: The Phantom Tollbooth In my spare time, I enjoy a veritable plethora of activities.  These include, but are not limited to, the following: reading comics, writing, reading other things, playing croquet, playing the drums, making movies, climbing trees, swimming, riding bikes, attending cultural events, and discussing issues in the community.  My dream job is to sell shirts out of an ice cream truck.  Ideally, I would also be able to sell my own music and other art from the truck, but I would start with apparel.  I could drive around the country, seeing the sights and meeting all kind of people, all while sharing things that I had made.  If that doesn’t work out, I would like to be some sort of teacher, and have the chance to write screenplays and comics at the weekend.
Jose	School: University of California – DavisTeaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: Things Fall Apart and Bridge to Terabithia My interests include biking, bowling, studying (staying on top of my academics), spending time with family and friends, community service, travelling, eating at new restaurants, miniature golfing, boating, tubing, wakeboarding, fishing, scuba diving, boogie boarding, and I’m a huge sports fan (basketball, football, baseball, golf, tennis, etc.).  My dream job is to be a teacher, but I’m also interested in working in government, criminal justice, or public health and being a counselor or sports trainer.  I’m looking forward to meeting people from a different part of the United States this summer and the challenges that await me.
Catalina	Breakthrough Class of 2011School: The Derryfield School Teaching: Math Favorite Books: Catcher in the Rye and The Chocolate War I like to read, paint, go to museums, walk my dog and listen to music.  My dream job is simply one that I enjoy.  I like all different kinds of music.  I am a Breakthrough student myself and I want other students to have the same positive experience that I had with Breakthrough this summer.
Natasha	School: University of California – IrvineTeaching: Math Favorite Books: the Twilight saga and Of Mice and Men I am excited to be on the East Coast this summer! I fell in love with DC and NYC this past winter and I know Manchester will be no less! I’m also really excited about meeting my students!  I love catching up with my friends in my spare time. Whether it be watching chick flicks, hitting the beach, or making Rite Aid ice cream runs, I feel most rejuvenated when I am with them. I also enjoy reading, napping, scrapbooking, EATING, and going on long drives. My dream job is to be a mom. I can’t imagine gaining more pleasure out of anything else other than being at home with my future husband and kids.
Alysha	Breakthrough Class of 2009School: Simmons College Teaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: Ishmael and Black Boy Things I enjoy: Bikram Yoga. Distance Running. Hiking. Camping. Climbing, Essentially, anything outdoors. Going on adventures. Taking pictures. Attempting to cook. Trying to keep up with the news. Learning about global issues, current events. Exploring spirituality. Discussing philosophy. Spending time with interesting, whole hearted, good people. My ideal job?  Outward Bound: At Risk Youth Expedition Team Leader and Teacher. This job would provide me with an opportunity to explore my interests in education and service while working with youth in my ideal environment, the outdoors.
Travis	School: University of New HampshireTeaching: English Favorite Books: Too many to choose from!  In middle school, my favorite was Ender’s Game. What do I do in my spare time?  During school, it’s all reading, reading, reading! However, in my off time I can be found playing video games with friends, watching movies, writing short fiction, and dabbling with computers. I also like to stay involved in extra-curricular activities, especially those revolving around issues of social justice. I talk, I debate, I joke around, and I can recite Chaucer in a mean Middle English dialect.  I hope to be an English Professor, and I’m considering specializing in drama or fiction writing.
Megan	School: Northeastern UniversityTeaching: Math Favorite Book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I wish that I could put some really crazy cool interesting hobbies on here, but I guess I like to do pretty basic things – run, hike, swim, watch a good movie, play basketball here and there, read, water ski, snow ski, go tubing, spend time outside and or with friends, play pranks, goof around and of course DANCE (not well), and SING (really not well).  I am traveling to Kenya for 5 weeks this spring, and I can’t wait! I love any music that you can dance to!
Anne	School: Claremont McKenna CollegeTeaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Phantom Tollbooth I am interested in education reform, so my dream job would be working as a policy analyst in the (federal) Department of Education.  I was a Breakthrough Super Saturday teacher during high school and I want to be part of that fun but intense learning atmosphere again. I am also hopeful that my experience as a teacher will give me a better understanding of the challenges professional educators face, and that this understanding would be helpful to my future career in the education reform field. I think it’s going to be a great summer!!
Ben	School: Harvard UniversityTeaching: Math Favorite Books: Cat’s Cradle and A Series of Unfortunate Events In my spare time I like to watch movies, play Ultimate Frisbee, and hang out with friends.  I still have no idea what I want to do as a career, just as long as it’s something that is interesting every day.  I am looking forward to meeting the other teachers and all the students. I think teaching at Breakthrough will be lots of fun and a great way to spend summer break!
Lucy	School: The Derryfield SchoolTeaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: Cracking the AP U.S. History Exam and Uglies When I’m not busy with everything that junior spring entails, I can be found with my friends.  Since my dream job as an ice-cream taster fell through, I have since settled on being a teacher.  I am usually singing along to Glee, or other such catchy tunes.
Anna	School: Central High SchoolTeaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: Big Fish and The Outsiders On the weekends I drive up to the mountains with my friends to go hiking and climbing.  I also enjoy reading, watching movies, and playing banana-grams.  I would love to spend the beginning of my life working with young toddlers as a lead teacher at a preschool because I like watching the quick growth of that age.  Once I am retired, I would love to travel the world as a blue hole diver and study archaeology.  I am wicked excited to be apart of the Breakthrough this summer along with a few hiking trips that are coming up!
Frank	School: University of New HampshireTeaching: Science Favorite Books: To Kill A Mockingbird and the Harry Potter series In my spare time I like to hike, play the guitar, freeboard, play soccer, run, and snowboard.  I would love to either become a biology teacher or a glacial paleontologist… hopefully both!  I applied to teach at Breakthrough because I believe that it will be one of the most meaningful and fun-filled jobs that I have ever had.
Ellie	School: The Derryfield SchoolTeaching: Social Studies Favorite Books: The Great Gatsby and the Harry Potter series I enjoy reading, writing, playing with Photoshop/graphic design, and hanging out with my friends.  I am excited to learn more about being a teacher, and I am also really looking forward to teaching a class I am really passionate about!  I would love to be a museum curator, a book editor, or a fiction author.  I have been a Breakthrough Super Saturday teacher for two years, and I just love being apart of the cheerful atmosphere as well as being surrounded by such invested, dedicated teachers and students.
Maeghan	Breakthrough Class of 2010School: The Derryfield School Teaching: Science Favorite Books: The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter series In my free time I love to read! My ideal vacation is one where I spend each day sitting on a beach reading. I especially love to read children’s fantasy books, but I will read any book that is recommended to me. When I am not reading I enjoy playing board games and card games. My new favorite board game is Settlers of Catan! I cannot wait to be back in the Breakthrough atmosphere this summer. I look forward to cheering at attendance every morning and teaching excited and eager students every day!
Kaitlyn	School: Yale UniversityTeaching: English Favorite Books: Gate of the Sun and A Ring of Endless Light I enjoy reading of all kinds of books and I love singing with my a cappella group or just by myself in my dorm room.  I draw, sketch, color in coloring books, facepaint, and make up silly dances to songs on the radio.    This summer, I am most excited to meet the new people whom I will teach and who will teach me.  I have wanted to be an astronaut, a rock-collector, an artist, a writer, a teacher, and a mime.  My dream job would be something that would bring a smile to me and others.
Lauren	Breakthrough Class of 2009School: Knox College Teaching: Science Favorite Books: the Harry Potter series and King of Shadows I love to play soccer! I also like to act in theatrical performances. I often hang out with my friends, work out, and bake! My dream job would probably be something that revolves around creative writing.  I love to just sit in a comfy place with a pen and paper and just let my imagination soar! So my dream job would probably be an author. I’m returning to teach at Breakthrough because I love the spirit and atmosphere here.  Everyone is passionate and interested in learning and they are willing to push themselves to be the best they possibly can.  It is going to be an awesome summer!
Daisy	Breakthrough Class of 2011School: Central High School Teaching: Science Favorite Books: McTeague and Romeo & Juliet In my free time, I enjoy scrapbooking, baking, and reading. I am really looking forward to meeting all my students and getting to know them this summer. As a BT student, I remember the fun and unforgetable summers at Breakthrough and I am so excited to partake in that experience for other students. I love math and science, and my dream job is to be a pharmacist. I enjoy pretty much all types of music, even music in other languages.
Ken	Breakthrough Class of 2011School: Bow High School Teaching: Science Favorite Books: The Road and Treasure Island I enjoy longboarding, snowboarding, reading, biking, mountain boarding, finding new music, watching movies, and socializing.  My dream job is to be a snow patrol at a large mountain in the East. I’m looking forward to working with Breakthrough students, and having them step outside their comfort zone to have fun while learning.  I’m ready for summer!
Tyler	School: Rhodes CollegeTeaching: English Favorite Books: Lying Awake and Rifles for Watie I like to play the piano and sing with my college choir. Classical music is my favorite to play and study: Gustav Mahler and Aaron Copland are two of my favorite composers. I love taking road trips, visiting historic sites, and traveling to other countries. When I have free time, I like to read children’s novels and play music with my friends.  My career goal is to be a middle school teacher and school administrator.  I’m very excited to get back into the classroom and work with Breakthrough students through great works of literature. I’m also very excited about learning from the faculty, staff, and students.
Jon	Breakthrough Class of 2012School: West High School Teaching: Science Favorite Books: Under the Dome and Cell In my spare time I enjoy being with friends, drawing, writing fiction stories, and watching movies.  I am very passionate about science and Astronomy is my favorite subject of science.  I am also a Sci-Fi geek, so I’ll be making tons of references to all kinds of Sci-Fi TV shows and movies! Should be loads of fun!  My dream job is to work in the government as a Senator.  I applied to teach at Breakthrough because teaching at Breakthrough is a amazingly rewarding experience and I want to inspire new Breakthrough students to stick with the program.
Emily	Breakthrough Class of 2007School: Hamilton College Teaching: STAR Academy Favorite Books: Cat’s Cradle and the Harry Potter series When I’m not trying something new, I like to ski, hike, and write.  If I could do anything, I would hike all of the mountain ranges in the States and write about them for a living.  More likely, I’ll be an orthodontist.  This summer, I am so excited to have the chance to meet another group of amazing, motivated, brilliant, and talented students. Last summer with Breakthrough was the best summer of my life.  How could I not come back?
Marisa	School: Wheelock CollegeTeaching: STAR Academy Favorite Books: A House on Mango Street and Holes I love to dance! I have danced ever since I was 3-years-old and have continued ever since. I do ballet, tap, and jazz. I also love to travel and go on trips; I recently spent four months studying in Spain! This summer I am really looking forward to working with the Breakthrough Collaborative. I am excited to work with all the students and staff to not only help the students improve academically and leadership-wise, but also to have fun! I will also be taking my first trip to the South in August to visit a friend from Alabama, I can’t wait!  My dream job is to be an Elementary School teacher. Ever since my senior year of high school, when I worked as an assistant teacher in a 5th grade classroom, I’ve known that’s what I want to be. I can’t wait for the day that I have my own classroom!
Alex	School: University of New HampshireTeaching: STAR Academy Favorite Books: Anna Karenina and The Giver I enjoy spending time with friends and family, writing, drawing, swimming, visiting new places, volunteering, plus seeing college and high school friends and getting a chance to spend some real quality time with my family after being at college, away from them for so long. Over spring break I worked at a program in Kansas City, coincidentally called Operation Breakthrough.  One day I want to teach/help manage a school in Haiti or Africa.  I really think education is the crux of social mobility and amelioration, and I have a special place in my heart for the people of Haiti, although I also think the human race also has a huge investment in the fate of the homeland for the entire species.  That I’m so thankful I will be working with Breakthrough this year and I can’t wait to start!

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