Ms. Irene Wilson, English teacher

BA, The Catholic University of America

Why did you choose to apply to Cathedral? As someone who was raised in the Midwest (I am originally from Michigan), I was looking for a school that would bring me back to a place that felt a bit more like home. I chose to apply to Cathedral because it was clear to me that their values of integrating faith and holistic formation into the classroom were ones I desired to stand behind and build a family around.

Describe your professional experience prior to Cathedral: I just graduated from undergrad, so this year at Cathedral will be my first year teaching. At Catholic University I completed my student teaching at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. and I have also worked at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology for the past two summers as an intern with the One Bread One Cup program. I am excited to be starting my professional career at such an excellent institution.

This year’s Cathedral theme is Excellence. How will you carry out this goal in your classroom? In the midst of a year filled with much uncertainty, I seek to intentionally build a community of students striving towards becoming the very best version of themselves and remaining consistently aware of the most effective methods to do so. I believe that the English classroom has a unique ability to journey towards a deeper understanding of truth and I look forward to fostering that throughout this year in my classroom.

What are your professional and personal goals at Cathedral this year? I seek to bring my entire self to Cathedral and meet each student, faculty member and staff member with joy and a listening ear. While I desire to engage and motivate my students to love the history and aesthetic beauty of literature, I also want to listen and learn alongside my students on how to be a better human. I want to develop lasting relationships and continue to help build a family of hope at Cathedral.

What is an interesting fact about you that students would be surprised to know? I played Ultimate Frisbee in college and made it to Nationals twice. My second year at Nationals our team won the spirit award (which is a pretty big deal in the Ultimate community, even though it sounds pretty silly).