Alumni Spotlight: Sam Nowak '07

“Professionally, the teachers at Woodlynde gave me an idea of what it looks like to create an environment that’s inclusive to all students and the importance of building community through student-teacher relationships,” says Sam.

Sam’s path to a teaching career was not always evident. He initially entered Emerson College, recognized for its strong communications and arts program, intending to pursue a career in journalism. Over the course of his undergraduate career, Sam changed his major to marketing communications but eventually realized that it wasn’t the right fit.

Having established strong relationships with his Woodlynde teachers, Sam sought advice from a trusted mentor, former Woodlynde history teacher Charles Brennan. On a fateful visit back to Woodlynde to meet with his former teacher, they discussed the idea of Sam pursuing a career in teaching. This conversation helped shape Sam’s decision to apply for an after-school teaching position where he saw the positive impact that he could make on students. He went on to obtain a master’s degree in education from Lesley University.

As an educator, Sam strives to both teach his students important lessons and also help them create lasting memories. When looking back on his time at Woodlynde, Sam fondly recalls and appreciates the opportunity to challenge himself in Mrs. Byrne’s AP English class, the fun he had writing silly stories in former Spanish teacher Mrs. Feldman’s class, and conversations in Ms. Tabun’s advisory.

“As much as I want my students to remember things like how to solve long division problems, I also equally value them having memories like the ones I have from Woodlynde. I hope that the positive memories of learning something new will help them become life-long learners,” says Sam.

When speaking about Woodlynde, Sam views Woodlynde’s faculty as the school’s strongest asset, because they provided him with both a solid learning foundation and strong relationships that have stood the test of time.

“I am thankful I learned from people who clearly love what they do and who took the time to not only teach, but to also create relationships with their students and make learning fun,” says Sam.