A Supernerd, and Proud of It Meet Bajia Reed, Wilcox Fellow in History CA’s newest Wilcox Fellow, Bajia Reed, majored in history at Spelman, where she was a tutor and president of the Spelman College History Society. This fall, she is coteaching Early Modern European Revolutions with Stephanie Manzella. In the spring, she will teach two sections of The Early Mediterranean World: Greece and Rome, and she will assist with CAMUN, drawing on her own college experience with Model U.N. “Bajia lights up when she talks about history and about teaching,” said Sarah Yeh, head of the History Department. “She impressed us with her curiosity, her enthusiasm for helping students read, think, and write critically about the past, and her excitement about joining and contributing to the community and culture of CA.” What made you want to try teaching? Teaching has always interested me. Maybe it’s because I’ve read about so many tutors and scholars putting the seeds of knowledge into rulers. Teaching is really underrated as a profession. It’s an awesome responsibility that is for the chosen few — shaping young minds.
What was your own high school experience like? I grew up in Woodbridge, Conn., and went to a public school there. I loved high school. I thought it was a great time to be alive, to learn awesome stuff, and home in on what I wanted to study in college. I had amazing teachers, so invested and present, who made learning interesting and
fun — the kind of teachers that change your life. Plus I’m a supernerd, and I enjoyed working really hard. What’s your first impression of CA? It’s a school where students can ask any question and receive the fullest answer possible, where they can be as curious as they really are, and not fear their
‘Students here never have to hide their desire to know more, or be concerned about speaking their minds.’ BAJIA REED Wilcox Fellow in History
curiosity. The focus on love of learning drew me. Students here never have to hide their desire to know more, or be concerned about speaking their minds. I have an insatiable curiosity about a million and one things. So my first impression of CA? Happiness. In your free time, what are you passionate about?
I’m a big movie and TV buff. Every year, my mom and I FaceTime and watch the Emmys and Oscars together. We prepare, too: We watch every movie that’s been nominated, and I mean all of them — not just for best picture, but also for best score, best cinematography. My dad thinks we’re nuts, but it’s a lot of fun.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Denise Alfonso, science teacher; Alison Lobron, English teacher; Rebecca D’Angelo, history teacher; Bajia Reed, Wilcox Fellow in history; Shelley Bolman, theater teacher; Nancy Boutilier, English teacher; Sabrina Sadique, English teacher
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Ben Carmichael ’01
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10/21/16 7:36 AM