FACULTY FOCUS - THERESE BOWER

Faculty Focus

Therese Bower

Please tell us a little bit about your background and your family ties with the Long Blue Line. I am the oldest of the three children of Dianne and Jim Cahill (Class of ’64 and English teacher from 1969 to 2012), who made many sacrifices to provide us with an excellent Catholic education when we were young. I attended St. Mary School, St. Ursula Academy, and then Ohio State, where I majored in English and minored in Russian. My husband and I met while working at a resort in Maine one summer, and we have been married for 25 years. After working for a cultural exchange program in Boston, I earned my Master of Arts in Teaching from Simmons College. I moved back to Cincinnati to teach English at St. Ursula, which I loved, but then I took a hiatus from teaching to focus on our four children. I returned to teaching eleven years ago when I accepted a position in the English Department at St. X. In addition to teaching, I am the Global Education Coordinator, a Kairos director, and the Global X-plorers Club moderator.

Why did you decide to bring your gifts to St. Xavier? Growing up as the daughter of a faculty member, I considered St. X a home away from home. When I was a kid, one of my favorite events of the year was the St. X Open House. My dad would bring us, and we’d roam the school while he spoke to prospective families. My brother and I would make a beeline for the Biology classrooms to check out the animal displays there. I attended countless football and basketball games, and I think I saw every Theatre Xavier production from 1978 until 1985, when I joined TX myself as a freshman. In high school, some of my best friends were St. X students. Through them and the experiences of my brother and many cousins, I saw the transformative power of Jesuit education. I knew the St. X environment would challenge me to be the best teacher I could be.

What is the most rewarding thing about being part of the St. Xavier community? I love being part of a community that is so united in its mission. Cura personalis, care of the whole person, pervades every aspect of school life: classroom interactions with students, Kairos and other retreats, community service, clubs, sports, and the Finding God in All Things Meditation every week, to name only a few. In walking through a typical school day, I witness a community engaged in the sacred work of developing young people into the fullest and finest version of themselves. I also witness laughter—a lot of it. St. X is a joyous place to be every day. education in our schools, and to that end, the Jesuit Schools Network has developed the Ignatian Global Scholars program. Global citizens, according to the Ignatian definition, are “those who continuously seek to deepen their awareness of their place and responsibility in an increasingly interconnected world, both locally and globally; those who stand in solidarity with others in the pursuit of a sustainable earth and a more humane world as true companions in the mission of reconciliation and justice.” Students at St. X earn the Ignatian Global Scholar distinction through curricular programming, cultural experiences, global and local projects, and ongoing reflection. I have been fortunate to be involved in this work over the last three years, and our first cohort of Ignatian Global Scholars will graduate this May.

You recently completed a Fulbright fellowship. Can you tell us about it? In 2019, I applied for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship. I was accepted, and our cohort of 75 educators from around the U.S. participated in a yearlong professional development program focused on best practices in global education. The fellowship culminates in an international field experience, and my bags were packed for Morocco in March 2020. Of course, the trip was cancelled due to the pandemic. Fortunately for us, it was eventually rescheduled, and I traveled to Morocco this past March, where our group met with education officials and visited schools in Rabat and Casablanca. The wait was worth it! Everything I learned through the Fulbright TGC Fellowship has informed my teaching and helped me facilitate the Global Scholars program. I owe the St. X administration a big thanks for supporting me throughout this opportunity.

How would you describe the St. Xavier Advantage? Having three sons attend St. Xavier has been a blessing beyond measure. Through their experiences, I’ve witnessed the many ways this school develops Men for and with Others. Our two soccer players gave us thrills on the field, and their coaches taught them grit, teamwork, and humility. Our oldest son’s passion for writing found a home in The Blueprint and Young Writers’ Forum, where moderators and peers encouraged him and challenged him to strive for the Magis. All three sons were the beneficiaries of a rigorous academic program delivered by exceptional teachers and supported by dedicated staff and administration. Like all of our graduates, my sons departed St. X ready to, as St. Ignatius said, “go forth and set the world on fire!” The St. Xavier Advantage is the celebration of each student’s gifts and the cultivation of those gifts for the greater glory of God and the good of humanity.

Tell us more about your new adventure with the Global Scholars Program: St. X is one of more than 890 Jesuit schools around the world, which means that St. X students are part of a global network of more than 840,000 students! The Jesuits have long prioritized global citizenship