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Get to Know Helen
It starts and ends with grit.
Hey, it's Helen 👋🏼
My own journey as a lifelong learner taught me that perseverance is everything.
That's why my students learn how grit fuels insight, analysis, and voice.
From a lost 9th grader 🥴
In 9th grade, I was more focused on my social life than my studies. My GPA tanked. I wasn’t lazy — I was lost, waiting to discover what would finally ignite the fire of learning in me. Looking back, I hadn't yet found the challenge or teacher that could wake up my love of learning.
Ireland with family, 2004
To a dedicated learner and student👩🎓
Everything changed when I had teachers who made English and history come alive. School stopped feeling devoid of meaning, and started to feel like an adventure where I could learn about myself and the world.
My GPA climbed as I became a more diligent student and poured myself into English and History, resulting in 5s on AP Lang, AP Lit, AP US, and AP World.
Real adventures outside the classroom, such as traveling to Egypt and Jordan with my favorite history teacher, fueled my spirit of curiosity. Thus, my respect for teachers and passion for learning were born.
Egypt & Jordan with classmates, 2007
Who acquired a global education at Dickinson College 🌎
Driven by lessons learned in high school, I threw myself into every opportunity at Dickinson: I studied Arabic for five semesters, served as a TA in Environmental Science, was a Student Project Coordinator for the Clarke Forum, and was invited to join the Blue Hats, a century-old, selective society for influential women on campus.
My curiosity pushed me in every direction, and I took classes in disciplines from Middle East Studies to Philosophy. However, the professors in the English department inspired me to challenge myself as a writer in ways I never thought possible. I decided to become an English major, studying abroad at University College London and graduating cum laude with a BA in English.
Hiking in Pennsylvania, 2010
After college, I spent four years teaching in Baltimore City Public Schools, where I pioneered Honors English and AP Language and Composition at my charter school, giving students access to an advanced curriculum that had never been offered before.
I then joined KIPP Texas in San Antonio, an International Baccalaureate school that was only one year into developing the IB curriculum. As a 12th-grade IB English teacher and the 12th-grade IB English Department Curriculum Director, it was my responsibility to ensure that all graduating students completed their full IB English requirements: Oral Commentary, Paper 1, Paper 2, and the Individual Oral Presentation. For my work with the 12th-grade IB program, I was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2018, and my students recognized me as “Most Enthusiastic.”
And used her passion for learning to become an award-winning teacher 🏆
Balitmore, 2017
San Antonio, 2018
And a successful tutor 👩🏫
From struggling as a 9th grader to guiding students to their full potential today, grit has been my superpower.
Grit can’t be taught — it’s something I use daily to live out my values of passion, curiosity, compassion, and a relentless love of learning.
I don’t just help students become stronger readers and writers; I help them grow into global citizens ready to meet challenges with courage and savor the journey of learning and life.