Every Student Has a Story: Nora Kipp '22, G'25

Nora Kipp '22, G'25 wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life, until she asked her seven-year-old self for advice.

In early elementary school, Kipp's favorite game to play after school was "school." Kipp would be the teacher and she'd assign "homework" to her childhood-best friend. Kipp's pupil would work on her various writing assignments and then turn them in for a grade, hoping to earn a 100 and a fancy sticker. As the teacher, Kipp was nurturing and supportive, but as the student... well, she was never the student.

"My friend would get mad at me because I never gave her a turn to be the teacher. I think I always knew this was my career path, even though i didn't pursue it at first. At some point, I just figured - maybe I should do what's been here all along?"

Kipp graduated with a degree in English more than two years ago and took a job as the Director of Communications for the New York State Broadcasters Association. She produced their newsletter, managed social media accounts, and was perfectly content, if not entirely fulfilled. Kipp studied abroad in Ireland in the spring of 2020, but her semester in Cork was cut short by the pandemic. Three years later, she was a year into her professional life, and couldn't shake the feeling that she was robbed of an important experience. There was still something waiting for her overseas.

Kipp applied to teach English abroad, for a full year, through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). She was placed in Madrid, Spain and taught English at a vocational school, primarily to adults.

"They were so eager to learn. It was really inspiring. It made me better in terms of explaining material and connecting with students."

The experience reignited her childhood passion to teach, and before Kipp was back in the states, she was already applying to graduate school. She originally applied to Clarkson's program, but now she's earning her master of arts in teaching at Siena.

"I was so excited when Siena took over the program. The faculty here are very kind and nurturing, and I love the freedom they give the students to lead in the classroom. Since starting the program in July, I've had the privilege of learning from several amazing and knowledgable professors who inspire me to be the best version of myself for my students."

The MAT program requires a year-long internship, and Kipp jumped at the opportunity to teach English at Albany International Academy (AIA), which serves newcomer students through a transitional program. These students vary in their English proficiency levels, and AIA focuses on developing the literacy skills they need to successfully transition back to their middle or high schools after a few years.

"I wanted that same experience I had in Madrid. It's really special helping students from another country get an education. The words "immigrant" and "refugee" can often be polarizing in today's world, but there shouldn't be anything controversial about helping a child learn a new language and empowering them with an education."

Kipp will complete her MAT program in one year, and next fall, she's hoping to be a full-time teacher... exactly where she's teaching this year.

"Deep down the desire to teach has always been a part of me. For whatever reason, I shied away from it for a while. But immersing myself in new cultures has helped me realize my privilege, and being able to leverage that to make a difference is inspiring. I feel lucky to be able to say that teaching is exactly what I'm meant to be doing."