Ann Marie poses with 2002 Noble Peace Prize winner
and former President Jimmy Carter. Carter was among the first Albert
Schweitzer Institute Humanitarian Award recipients in 2007 at
Quinnipiac University.

We are thrilled to introduce Ann Marie Mangano. Since her arrival in August, Ann Marie has taken GEP by storm. Admired by students and colleagues alike, this Renaissance woman has brought refreshing spirit, insight, and creativity to GEP. Many of her high school and college professors have said that teaching is in her bones; however, she believes that it is her personality and ability to connect with others that draws her to the teaching profession. Whether as a teacher, coach, mentor, performer, or community servicewoman, Ann Marie positively impacts those she meets.

Ann Marie joins GEP with an impressive array of accomplishments that includes: being captain of a Division One field hockey team, receiving awards such as the M.A.T. Leader Excellence Award, Albert Schwietzer Institute Humanitarian Award, and Outstanding Student Award (received all four undergraduate years for academic achievement), and organizing and hosting a professional development conference in Leon, Nicaragua. She also was the national anthem singer at the opening of TB Bank North Sports Complex, Relay for Life, 9/11 Candle Vigil, and all home sporting events on Quinnipiac’s campus.

Ann Marie’s life experiences and diverse array of talents undoubtedly contribute to her teaching philosophy. She loves playing and watching sports; lives for singing and dancing in front of large audiences; and most passionately enjoys learning about other people’s cultures. She believes it is necessary to combine a little bit from each of these elements into her teaching style to appeal to a greater variety of her students. Once she finds what her students are passionate about, she finds engaging ways to make real life connections to what they are learning and their lives.

We caught up with Ann Marie and asked what inspired her most about teaching. Here’s what she had to say:

“For as long as I can remember, education had always played a pivotal role in my life.  Coming from a family in which both my parents are high school educators, I learned the significant role education can play when shaping the life of an individual. My parents, like many of those who came before them, wanted to prepare, motivate, and mold the future of our country. They wanted to teach, inform, challenge, and change the way we, as students, think, and I believe they did. It was through the lasting relationships five, ten, even twenty years after their students left their classrooms that I knew teachers made a difference. I continually saw how rewarding this profession was and how badly I wanted to become a part of something greater than myself. What better way to give back to my community, to my country than through sharing my knowledge and love for learning with future generations?

Lastly, I believe my experience teaching in Leon, Nicaragua has also shaped my desire to teach. Teachers in Nicaragua do not have many classroom resources, but what they are able to accomplish with their students on a daily basis is an inspiration to us all. I learned that I must look at each student with an open and accepting mind. I must also work to incorporate their various cultures into my lesson plans in hopes that they can all learn from one another. That is why I strongly believe that regardless of what subject area a teacher instructs, there are countless lessons that can be learned outside any textbook that will provide the underlying messages students need to succeed in life. The information students learn in school is secondary to the values students learn about cultural understanding and the importance of working well with others. In the process, students and teachers become life-long learners who are prepared for whatever they decide to pursue in life.”

Above, Ann Marie instructing administrators, teachers and students of Goyena and
La Ceiba in Leon, Nicaragua.