This academic school year definitely has proved to be challenging for Thomas grad Ashlea Gerbino, but she knows this is what she’s meant to do.

As a third grade teacher at an elementary school in Berwick, ME, Ashlea’s school year has been full of adjustments – from a hybrid model to switching to fully virtual at times throughout.

“It hasn’t been the easiest to navigate, however I have really fallen in love with this position and couldn’t be happier,” said Ashlea.

This is Ashlea’s first year in this school and position, this school year’s unique has been tricky – but Ashlea’s education from Thomas equipped her to expect the unexpected.  

“During my time at Thomas, a few of the education courses that I took with Dr. Rybakova introduced me to online resources and applications that I have been able to use or help my colleagues with. One application that comes to mind is Screencastify. This is an application where you can record your computer screen and yourself. This is especially helpful when teaching remotely. Although no one knew this is what education and teaching would look like, being aware of these applications and resources helped me move to a distance learning setting with some ease.”

While at Thomas, Ashlea was able to gain some experience helping to guide and educate her peers including as a peer mentor, a peer academic leader for an education course, and a peer tutor for the praxis test.  

“All of these positions allowed me to build connections with professors and students, as well as grow as an educator. Facilitating the small groups and study sessions gave me a lot of experiences that helped me in the school setting.”

Ashlea said she would recommend Thomas College to those who appreciate the small school setting and wants to build connections with students and faculty.

“During my four years at Thomas, I never felt like I was just a number. Professors were there to help and I also made sure to meet with tutors in the Student Success Center to get extra assistance with papers or assessments. There are a lot of resources for students!”