I’m a tap dancer, It’s one of my favorite things in the world. I’ve been tap dancing since I was five years old and I even had a tap dancing troupe in tanzania that did Afro Fusion tap. We also had a Jazz band where everyone one was also tap dancing at the same time; from the keyboarding to the bassist. Though I loved Tanzania, I’d been living outside the US for nine years, and I finally felt like it was time to come back. Northwood appealed to me a lot because I used to spend a lot of time in the Adirondacks as a kid and loved it. I actually don’t think of myself as an English teacher… I’m a creator and an artist and right now I just happen to create English classes and young minds through English. Before here I worked at the Dar es Salaam International Academy where I taught language and literature and drama performance. When I started looking at new jobs, I made a vision board and happily enough, this location has everything on that board. The board is up in my apartment to remind myself that I can envision something and make it come to life. I was always a New York City girl, so the small town of Lake Placid is new to me, but I love it. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined myself living anywhere but NYC, so this is definitely different. Northwood is so accepting of how multifaceted life is; no one is encouraged to divide themselves. For example, I could have papers to grade but if I need to take a walk instead, no one will tell me that that walk is not a good use of my time because everyone understands the importance of stepping back when needed and the need for a work/health balance.
As told to Aude-Marie Ackebo ’18
