Mr. Brendan Surane, business teacher, assistant men’s volleyball coach, assistant women’s volleyball coach

BS, Ball State University; MA, University of Essex

Why did you choose to apply to Cathedral: I was fortunate enough to work with the men’s volleyball team for a few weeks before schools got shut down. In that short time, I was highly impressed by Cathedral’s culture of hard work and leadership, the welcoming staff and the campus and facilities that are unlike any school I’ve seen. After doing more research and seeing how Cathedral provides its students with a variety of course options, clubs and activities, allowing them to tailor their education to their interests, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Cathedral family.

Describe your professional experience prior to Cathedral: Before Cathedral, I taught one year of middle school English and social studies at St. Therese Little Flower. I also have experience working in the business world for companies such as Federal Signal, FTIC and Hapag Lloyd.

This year’s Cathedral theme is Excellence. How will you carry out this goal in your classroom? I will contribute to Cathedral’s theme of excellence by not only providing students with an engaging learning environment but also sharing my own, as well as other people’s, experiences in the business world. This way, students can understand the different realms of business they might work in and know what to expect in college and beyond.

What are your professional and personal goals at Cathedral this year? My goal this year is to develop and expand upon the excellent foundation already set within the business department. I want to go beyond a typical business education by providing students with a variety of creative activities and projects that will set them up for success at the college level, while also giving them real-world experience, which is a crucial aspect of business education.

What is an interesting fact about you that students would be surprised to know? After graduating from Ball State, I played volleyball in Finland and England. While playing in England, my team won the BUCS championship, which would be the U.S. equivalent of winning a national championship.