Saint Michael's College

Secondary Education Licensure Program
Major: Biology
Hometown: Manchester, NH

When dynamic living things grow and interact -- animal, vegetable or teenager -- Gretchen Klene likes to be part of it. Majoring in biology and completing the secondary education licensure program at Saint Michael’s College puts her right where she wants to be.

Gretchen satisfies her curiosity about the natural world in labs and classes all week on campus. But at least once a week, she is off to a Burlington-area high school or middle school, giving of herself to adolescents as she trains to be a science teacher.

“Originally I came here as a biology major, but after freshman year I decided to declare secondary ed as well,” she said. “I thought I’d really like to teach since I had worked with kids in the 11 to 14 age group a lot as a summer camp counselor. It just went from there.”

From her first education class as a sophomore, Gretchen visited local schools every week for observations. One semester she worked each Thursday morning with a group of Champlain Valley Union High School students in a team-taught English and history class, guiding them on projects and assessing their progress. Then she headed to nearby Winooski Middle School to work one-on-one with a special-needs student.

Gretchen feels privileged to work outside her area of concentration with two experienced CVU humanities teachers. “In this program, you need a willingness to be open to new experiences, to be able to jump right in and not be hesitant,” she said.

The friendliness Gretchen encountered on early visits to Saint Michael’s from students, administrators and faculty sold her on the college. “It was my first choice – I just loved it,” said the Manchester, N.H. native, whose parents both work in her father’s private business. The youngest in her family, Gretchen has two brothers and a sister.

“I came up in the summer and everything was so pretty -- and it’s a great small school. You can know your professors on a one-to-one basis,” she said. “You stop by their office, and they know who you are.” After hearing good things about the education department from her first-year roommate, an elementary education major, Gretchen asked her adviser about adding a secondary education licensure. “He told me to go for it,” she said.

“The classes just challenge you a lot. They’re always pushing you to do your best,” she said. “It definitely prepares you to go into the classroom, so you’re comfortable and confident when you’re finally on your own teaching. You have enough background to say, ‘I know what I’m doing.’”

A distance and backstroke specialist on Saint Michael’s varsity swim team, the student-athlete has little time for many other campus activities. “It’s a pretty big time commitment,” said Gretchen, who also lives in a campus theme house where residents raise funds and promote awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.