Jane Dugan ’20 has big plans to bring history to life as a high school teacher. After her second year of study, she visited the founding site of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Le Puy, France.
An International Pilgrimage
As a double major in history and secondary education, Jane Dugan ’20 enjoys spending her time examining everything from historical documents and archives to ancient relics and monuments.
In June 2018, she left the comfort of New England to go on a week-long pilgrimage to Le Puy, France, the town where the Sisters of Saint Joseph (SSJs) were founded. Learning about the historical roots of Elms College gave Jane a set of experiences that she will take with her into the high school classroom.
“I’m studying to become a history teacher, and this trip opened my heart to the charism of the SSJs indefinitely,” she said.
“In Le Puy, we met a group of middle school students from an SSJ school, and they were completely humble and grateful to be growing up in the warmth of the SSJs,” she added. “I hope to use the charism of the SSJs to guide students who will care and carry out that charism as well.”
‘This trip opened my heart to the charism of the SSJs indefinitely.’
In addition to her experience abroad, Jane found inspiration during an influential Agape Latte talk by now-retired education professor Anne Harrison, Ed.D. After listening to Dr. Harrison discuss the importance of social justice and working for the good of each student, Jane had her “aha” moment.
“I thought, ‘That’s exactly what I want to do. You’re speaking on my level,’ ” she said.
History majors at Elms analyze the world from a variety of perspectives, asking important questions about the connections between past and present.