Stefanie Jochman, a former NDA teacher, now teaches in her second year at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia.

Jochman currently teaches Freshman English along with IB English for seniors.  Here at NDA she also taught IB English and Freshman English.  Three years ago she was the school’s first and only Golden Apple recipient.

From the start, Jochman could recognize that there were many defining differences between Notre Dame and Trinity Episcopal.

“One of the biggest differences was the environment. Notre Dame was all in one building, but Trinity [Episcopal] has a campus like a college,” said Jochman.

Jochman went on to explain how classrooms, athletic centers and the performing arts center all have separate buildings at the Richmond school.

There are some similarities between Notre Dame and Trinity Episcopal that Jochman notes.

“Like Notre Dame, Trinity Episcopal has spirit weeks during the fall, mid-winter and spring. The students also like attending evening events, but unlike Notre Dame, basketball seems to be the sport to follow,” she said.

Jochman has also learned some indispensable life lessons from her move in 2017.

“Making the move to Virginia taught me a lot about myself–how I could learn my way around a new city, how to make friends in an unfamiliar place and how to stay in touch with all the people I love back in Wisconsin,” she explained.

This year, Jochman received an exciting opportunity to study abroad in Scotland.

She learned about this opportunity from her school president, who received a letter from the English Speaking Union, an organization that funds the Teachers Learning Abroad scholarship.

Her school president encouraged Jochman to apply.

“He knows I really enjoy British literature,” she said.

Jochman applied for this opportunity last year, but due to the wide range of teachers who applied, didn’t win.

The organization encourages teachers to re-apply and Jochman did just that, triggering her success.

The scholarship will cover her flight, tuition, room and board in Scotland.

She will study contemporary literature with teachers and students at the University of Edinburgh for two weeks.

Additionally, she will attend cultural events, such as a traditional ceilidh dance and some author talks.

“My hope is that I will be able to teach some of the stories, poems or novels I learn about in Scotland during my classes next year,” said Jochman.