Katie Le ‘25
B.A., English, minors in psychology and secondary education
Hometown: Ashburn, Va.
From the start, Katie Le knew she belonged in the classroom. Inspired by her high school teachers and an interest in reading and writing, she came to Hollins to “do something with English.” That something evolved into an English major with minors in education and psychology, solidifying her dream of becoming a teacher.
Le shadowed middle and high school English teachers during three J-Terms, worked in the Community School’s after-school program, and student taught at Lucy Addison Middle School in Roanoke. This August, she begins teaching in her home district of Loudon County, Virginia.
Her passion for teaching is deeply personal. Often the only Vietnamese student—or person—in her schools growing up, Le is driven to be the representation she rarely saw. “Part of wanting to be a teacher back home is so students have teachers who look like them,” she says. “Representation in the classroom is important.”
That mission found voice in her English classes, particularly courses on multicultural literature taught by Susan Gager Jackson Professor of Creative Writing Pauline Kaldas. “She understood the kinds of students I didn’t see in my own education,” Le says.
Le also made her mark as a campus leader. As two-year president of the Asia Pacific Islander Student Alliance, she planned events including Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month and collaborated with student groups. She also served on the BIPOC committee, and as an ADA scribe, and organized four Red Cross blood drives.
“These experiences taught me how to connect and adapt—essential skills for teaching,” Le says. “Before Hollins, I thought school was a place for academic and personal growth. My teaching experience has only enhanced that belief.”
Book She Can’t Wait to Teach Her Students: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. “We read this in Introduction to Children’s Literature by John P. Wheeler Professor Julie Pfeiffer. It’s a novel in verse about a 15-year-old Dominican girl and her relationship with her mother. I first read it in high school but reading it again in college was different. When we created a tech set for a hypothetical classroom in an education course, this was one of the books I included.”
Highlights
- President, Asian & Pacific Islander Student Alliance
- Co-Secretary, Near East Fine Arts Specialty Housing
- Secretary, Hollins Outdoor Athletes – Rock Climbing Team
- Summer Visitor Services Assistant, Eleanor D. Wilson Museum
- After School Caretaker, Community School, Roanoke
- Student Intern, Northside High School, Roanoke, J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, and Independence High School
