Michele Leardo

1.

I’ve always loved children so I decided to study to become a teacher when I went off to college.

2.

In college, I got to do a few different student teaching experiences in a range of environments—suburban, urban, private, and public schools.

3.

I resonated most with my experience teaching in Boston Public Schools, so I spent my senior year student teaching full-time in that district.

4.

I graduated in 2009 at a bad time in the economy, so I moved to Italy and got a job teaching in Rome.

5.

That experience prompted me to think about education more systemically, so I decided to go back to school and get my master’s in education policy.

6.

I then did research at New York University about the contextual factors that influence students—things like crime exposure, the neighborhoods they live in, whether or not they eat breakfast, etc.

7.

My research was very interesting but I felt disconnected from schools and students, and wanted to do something that brought me closer to schools, community, and people.

8.

I became interested in philanthropy and got the opportunity to work as a program officer for the Walton Family Foundation, where I get to work with school districts or organizations that support them.