Beaver Reflections:
I had a wonderful experience at Beaver. I graduated in 1996 so I guess I started in 1992. I wasn’t the best student in middle school. I didn’t take my studies very seriously and when I got to Beaver, I just really cared a lot about what I was learning for the first time probably since kindergarten. It was a big pivot for me. I felt at home. A large part of that was the school’s emphasis on the arts, the sense of community, the progressive nature of the school, and their amazing faculty. There are so many teachers that had a huge effect on me. Peter Gao, who taught history. I remember engaging in intense debates in his class and just loving the way he encouraged critical thinking and getting outside of our comfort zones. Mrs. Ruggles, my French teacher was amazing. Mr. McCarthy, my biology teacher, who I know passed away, was an amazing teacher. And, definitely, Jennifer Yolles. I feel really lucky that I got to be in plays and work with her.

What is #happeningnow in your life:
When I graduated I went to Connecticut College. I started off as a theater major but ended up majoring in philosophy and visual and studio art. I moved to New York right after graduating and worked for a couple of nonprofits. Then I went on to get my MFA in poetry at Sarah Lawrence College, which was wonderful. I joined the New York City Teaching Fellows program and got a degree in English education, teaching grades 7 through 12 for three years. There were a lot of experiences I had that I wanted to think more critically about so I got my doctorate in English education from Teachers College at Columbia. While I was doing that I was teaching poetry to K-12 students. I was also adjuncting at Parsons School of Design and at Long Island University’s graduate education program, and at Teachers College. Then I got a full-time job as an assistant professor at Moore College of Art and Design and I’ve been at Moore since 2018. I currently teach and direct their writing program. Writing poetry is crucial to me. It’s nourishing. I predominantly write poetry and I do a lot of work in mixed media. I’ve also done some public installation work. I’ve done collaborative projects where poetry has been involved. The pandemic has made me kind of step back and recognize some of the things I may have taken for granted. My partner and I were both working full-time from home and the kids were home and we realized this is all about learning to really be in the present and not stress out.

“Teaching and writing poetry and making art — it’s all connected. I think I do have Beaver to thank for the ways in which thinking and making across different disciplines was emphasized and really nurtured.”

– Maya Pindyck ’96

Advice to current Beaver Students:
Realize how lucky they are and what a real privilege it is to study at Beaver. Also, follow the impractical. Really follow your passion in the moment and trust where it leads you. High school’s such an amazing time for that.