Hometown, current residence, age: Cornwall, Chicago, 26
Family: Parents: Mary and Peter Conlon; siblings: William Conlon MUHS class of 2012 and current 1L at Stanford Law School, Silas Conlon MUHS Class of 2019, fiancée: Rachel Tornquist. We met in college in 2011. Our wedding date is July 21, 2018!
What I am up to: I currently teach high school Spanish at Waukegan High School, a far north suburb of Chicago. This past year I taught Spanish 1 and AP Spanish to about 125 students.
How I got to where I am now: I attended Cornell College, a small school in Iowa, upon graduating from MUHS in 2010. While in college I made lifelong friends and met my fiancée. College helped me discover my love of education and gave me the chance to meet new people with a wide variety of life experiences. MUHS Principal Bill Lawson gave me the chance to substitute teach at MUHS at the end of my college career, which reinforced my love of teaching and gave me valuable experience before moving to Chicago.
Adults to whom I can attribute my current success: My parents have always supported me. Whether it was the decision to move to Chicago, or the decision to go back to school for a master’s degree, they have always been the people I turn to for advice, for encouragement or just to celebrate good news. Even now, I send them resumés, cover letters and other important documents to ensure I am making sense and not making silly grammar mistakes.
How my Vermont roots have influenced who I am today: I only buy Vermont maple syrup at the supermarket and insist that all my friends call soft-serve “creemees.” In all seriousness though, Vermont gave me a great sense of community and how important it is to find one wherever you may end up. I have carved out a great community of friends in Chicago and serve a great community in Waukegan.
My memories of high school: High point: Travelling to New York with AP Spanish to see a play, participating in the senior play, most of senior year. Low point: Getting strep throat right before the premier of the senior play.
My advice for this year’s crop of graduating seniors: Travel, and learn a new language!