Personal Update:
After graduating from Hunter, I went on to The City College of NY, where I got my B.A. (in Biology), my husband (classmate Jeffrey Lovitch, hence my post-Hunter last name), and my M.A. (also in Biology). I then embarked upon my teaching/coaching career, which has spanned the intervening years. We now live in Old Tappan NJ and we have two children; son Scott who is a doctor at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School, and daughter Gina who is a counselor/advisor at SUNY Rockland and various outreach programs within the SUNY system.
Memories and Reflections:
The theme of this reflective comes from a well-known essay entitled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, written by Robert Fulghum. No, I am not suggesting that Hunter taught me everything I need to know! However, as I analyze my memories of Hunter, I find significant correlations between my experiences as a student and the inspirations that guided me as an adult.
Specifically, Hunter instilled in me a sense of belonging. I started out as one of those “back-door” students who entered Hunter in the 10th grade rather than the 7th grade, and my initial excitement about “making Hunter” was soon tempered by my anxiety about being an outsider. But Hunter’s tradition of the “buddy system” rescued me -- in the form of Myrna Margulies, my own personal Hunter-guide! She paved my way and introduced me to the traditions that truly made Hunter a special place. From my first day to my graduation day, I loved those traditions. From my first field trip up the Hudson to Bear Mountain to our last Senior Sing; from our farewell to the Class of ’65 (Seniors… we will miss you… we will miss you ‘cause you won’t be back next year) to our own ’67 farewell to Hunter itself (Hunter… we will miss you… we will miss you ‘cause we won’t be back next year)… I loved those experiences because they instilled in me a sense of belonging… of being part of an enduring tradition of caring… (“It doesn’t matter where you go, you always will be loved…. Hey Hunter, we’ve never felt this way”).
In my subsequent career as a teacher and a coach -- following the model of my Hunter experiences -- I always endeavored to create an environment of tradition, caring, and belonging. The best example is my role as Head Coach of my high school’s United States Academic Decathlon Team. I am proud to say that I was the “winningest” Coach in my school’s history, with a record of 12 consecutive years of State Championships, during which we traveled to 12 different states (from Rhode Island to Alaska) and achieved National Honors. I honestly feel that our phenomenal success was due to the students’ emotional commitment to our Team… the feeling that we were all part of something special.
Thank you Hunter, for providing me with the inspiration and a model to follow! |
