Education is inquiry and dialogue; we examine conceptions, challenge misconceptions, create and recreate ideas, uncover identities, make alliances, and move our world further towards justice.”

Jolie’s Story

Jolie grew up in a Moose Pass, Alaska, a small town where the school is the heart of the community. School is where friendships, adventures, growth, and community change happened. As a high school student, Jolie was fortunate enough to be able to support research for Steller sea lions and harbor seals at the Alaska SeaLife Center. She also spent time researching transient and resident orca populations with the National Ocean Science Bowl.

The beauty of her hometown sparked her love of nature and being outdoors. While studying earth systems at Stanford University, Jolie was engaged in a wide range of activities, from managing the university’s 24/7 peer counseling center to working as a wilderness first aid instructor. She also served as an assistant coach for her high school’s cross country running team, a research assistant at a shellfish hatchery, a lead back-country trail ranger and a wilderness firefighter. Jolie took time off from Stanford to manage operations for two organizations in Northeastern Zambia. With FACE AIDS, she promoted HIV/AIDS awareness and supported entrepreneurship among HIV+ people. She also managed FORGE’s life enrichment and social services programs in two Congolese refugee camps.

Post graduation, Jolie worked in Burundi as an agronomist and a food security program manager with Village Health Works. After returning to the States, she worked as an education consultant for The Bridgespan Group.

Jolie chose to be a teacher, because it allows her to support adolescent as they become leaders in their own communities. She earned her science teaching credential from Mills College and is excited about transitioning to the field of education, mainly because it combines what she loves best about all of her previous jobs—”deep relationships, nerdy curiosity, big goals for equity and social justice, long struggles, and huge rewards.”

As a Teaching Fellow, Jolie hopes “to gain an incredible community of fellow teachers who support and challenge each other to continually grow in serving all of our students.”

Jolie is passionate about rock climbing and playing outside. Through her travels, she’s developed a love for languages, as they allow her to connect with others. She is conversational in Spanish, German, French, Congolese Swahili, Kirundi, and Bemba.