| Rachel Metalin, CAS, ’05
Hart A. Massey Graduate Scholarship
Student Introduces Classics to Kids
BY ADRIENNE FRANK
Rachel Metalin is the recipient of the Hart A. Massey Graduate Scholarship, which was established in 1914 by an estate gift from Hart A. Massey, cofounder of the Massey-Harris Corporation of Canada and chair of the Massey Foundation. This scholarship supports a Canadian student attending AU. |
As a child, Rachel Metalin used to curl up under the covers with a flashlight and a dog-eared copy of Wuthering Heights. A dozen years later, she is writing her thesis on Emily Bronte’s 1847 gothic romance. “I’ve probably read the book eight times now,” says Metalin, 24, of Toronto, Canada. “And each time, I get more and more out of it.”
Metalin, who will complete her master’s degree in literature in December, says she was immediately drawn to AU’s faculty. “All of my professors have gone out of their way to encourage and support me. For the beginning, that was the most attractive thing about AU.” They have in fact inspired her to pursue a teaching career of her own. Metalin got her first taste of teaching last spring when she tutored a 17-year-old high school student from northeast Washington, D.C.
“Public school failed her miserably, so we spent our time together working on her homework and preparing for the SAT. I think it was a good experience for both of us. I really learned what it means to be a mentor and a teacher,” says Metalin, who is spending the summer teaching at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and in the fall will begin a PhD program with a plan to teach literature to high school students.
“I’m passionate about books, and I’m passionate about working with kids. There are just so many incredible authors and works that I’d like to introduce kids to,” she says. “If I can combine those two things, there’s no better profession.
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