This year, Westminster is glad to welcome Jennifer Hogan as a seventh grade U.S. History teacher. She has been teaching for nearly twenty years, mainly in middle school, but returns to Westminster after a brief time at Marist. A returning middle school teacher, she has taught as a permanent sub in the Middle School before.

When she was younger, she felt pressured to know history, as her mother was an art history major. “I felt like I would often get quizzed as a kid on anything to do with history,” Ms. Hogan says. A love of history led to a love of travel, and Ms. Hogan has already visited multiple countries in Europe, her favorites being Germany and the Swiss Alps. 

As it turns out, she was not always interested in this line of work, and it took some time in graduate school to learn where her passion was. “I didn’t realize that I liked teaching until I was in graduate school,” Ms. Hogan recalled. “I was a teacher’s assistant . . . and I realized that I really liked it.” 

Interestingly, she is also a classically-trained dancer. “I have always danced,” Ms. Hogan says. “I don’t take classes as much anymore, but I like movement classes, so I’ll go to yoga, maybe occasionally a dance class . . . it’s good for your body and mind.” 

Some of her other pastimes include hiking, spending time with family, and just being outdoors. 

We are certainly glad that Ms. Hogan chose to follow her passion for history; otherwise, we never would have discovered her amazing skills.