Stephany Studebaker
Fourth Grade
E-mail: sstudebaker@geoacademies.org
BIOGRAPHY
Stephanie Studebaker graduated from high school with the idea that she would go to college and take as many differing classes as possible, trying many paths to discover which one best suited. The same night she graduated was the same night her parents drove across the southwest all night long with her and everything she owned in a van to her first job: a job for the utility branch of the summer program, on campus of the college she would attend that fall: Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
After taking a myriad of courses in music, psychology, anthropology, language, and history, Ms. Studebaker was being pulled in two distinctly disparate directions: whether to continue and further pursue a music performance degree and have to transfer her credits to Oberlin College or Bloomington, Indiana on the recommendation of her vocal coach and music prof., A. Tischauser or, go in the direction of a self-constructed degree in Latin American Studies within the discipline of History. The latter of the two, being the more "practical" and the choice that would better pave the way for a future career in diplomacy, became her choice. She longed to follow in the footsteps of her maternal grandfather who was a colonel in the Army in WWII, a liberator to France, and an influential diplomat and advisor in the governmental relations between the United States and Korea, and between the United States and Cuba during the Missile Crisis.
Her entire four years in undergraduate school was spent working two and three jobs at a time while taking a full load of classes, for the various seasonal jobs in the area like the ski area and the local Durango and Silverton Railroad. Working in customer service, she gained many practical skills and soon became famous for her wit and diplomatic skills when dealing with the random disgruntled or irate customers that occasionally drifted into the office. Frequently when co-workers would run screaming from their fearful encounters, Ms. Studebaker would be sent for to come calm the customers down.
Just after her graduation after four years with a B.A. of History in Latin American Studies and a G.P.A. of 3.6, she received the opportunity to work in several capacities at Mesa Verde National Park. This was a formative series of small jobs, eventually culminating with being given the opportunity to become the administrative assistant for the Mesa Verde Museum Association, a position that was created for her, recognizing her for her skills with National Park goers and merchandise. She knew the significance of this stroke of luck because very few ever get the opportunity to secure a permanent position at the Park. As luck would have it, though, a fire started by a lightning strike burned the part of Mesa Verde where the partial outdoor bookstore, which she manages, burned down. It was the only structure to be lost in the fire at Mesa Verde in the summer of 2000, and in the week the park had to be closed for maintenance, the Association temporarily ran out of money to hire her on in the new capacity.
This brought her to Colorado Springs where she nearly joined the Navy to fly helicopters, but instead decided to get a job as a teaching assistant at a private Montessori School...and the rest is history. After doing several years of grad school for a Masters in Teaching and student teaching/subbing in most of the elementary and many upper level grades, she finally graduated after six years and two grad programs with a G.P.A. of 3.89 from the largest private university in America, University of Phoenix. She has taught Spanish in a public charter school of 600 students from K to 8th grade, PreK to 3rd in prestigious local private schools, both Montessori and 4-Mat Philosophy driven, and currently teaches for Pikes Peak Prep of the Geo Foundation. Teaching just happened to be on the list of 144 things she wants to do before she dies.
"I never knew I would become a teacher...something you have to become; it's not just a job you do. It was never a thought or an aspiration, especially when I was a child. If my childhood dreams of adulthood had come true, I would have become a combination of Wonder Woman and Working Girl and moreover, I descend from a long line of educators of all variety; the last thing you think of is sometimes the most obvious..."
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