Beaver Reflections:
I graduated from Beaver in 1988 and am so grateful for the education I received. I had come from a public school that had not really served my academic needs as much as I would have liked. When I got to Beaver the teachers were so caring and supportive. One of my favorite teachers was Ms. Baker in middle school. She was amazing and got my writing skills up to speed, which was what needed to happen at public school but never did. If she had not intervened at Beaver, I am not sure what would have happened! Along with the great teachers, Beaver had so much to offer to students. I was vice president of the drama club and president of chorus. I also played lacrosse and field hockey.

What is #happeningnow in your life:
After graduating from Beaver, I went to Macalester College, which was an amazing experience as well. Looking back, I am not sure if I would have been accepted if it was not for Beaver and the education I received there. While at Macalester I double majored in theater and anthropology. After graduating, I went on to do some work at NPR; I worked at Minnesota Public Radio and also WBUR. Afterwards, I wanted to start teaching so I went back to Beaver and did my first year as a teaching fellow and then taught Spanish for about five years. After working at Beaver, I went out to the West Coast and Los Angeles and taught middle school at Harvard-Westlake School for around four years. Talking to middle schoolers about their day-to-day lives and issues made me realize how important counseling is for everyone. So, I went to New York to go to graduate school to be a school counselor. I am a certified Spanish bilingual school counselor and licensed mental health counselor. Recently, I have transitioned to private practice, and I specialize in trauma incident reduction, otherwise known as TIR.

“Something that I loved about Beaver was the supportive community. It felt like you were on a team working together towards a common goal. Whether it was on the lacrosse or field hockey team or inside the chorus room singing, everyone of the students is putting 100% of their effort into making it work.”
– Pamela Mazza ’88

Advice to Beaver students:
“I would tell students to try as many clubs and activities as possible because you never know what will stick and what may pique your interest. Also, if you think you know what you need and what you are about and people are discouraging you, do your best to block them out and focus on you and what your priorities are. You may have a view or vision that people do not understand.”