Heading straight out of the journalism industry and into the halls of Staples, Sarah Krikorian is one of the newest additions to the English department. Sharing her passion and enthusiasm with her intro to journalism and freshman English classes, Krikorian is adjusting well to the Staples community.

Previously working for Voice of America, an organization that brings news from the United States into foreign countries, Krikorian got her start in the journalism business straight out of college. With the vital job as an Armenian translator, Voice of America could not have functioned without Krikorian’s hard work. She reflected on her time there positively, claiming to have learned a lot as a new journalist. However, Krikorian admitted, “It was a very unique type of job, but in the end, it serves a function that we don’t really think about when we think there’s this big world around us.”

Although she enjoyed her previous job, Krikorian’s life changed after deciding to become a teacher. With reading, writing, and grammar as a part of her every day routine, working as an English and Journalism teacher started to feel like less of a job.

Being able to share her passion with her students everyday, Krikorian explained how she has had an appreciation for English since the early days of her childhood. ”I’ve always loved literature ever since I was young in school…It was cool when my friends and I all came together after reading the same thing and then have an engaging conversation with different opinions,” Krikorian said.

While her first year of teaching is coming to an end, we couldn’t help but ask Krikorian the burning question: which subject does enjoy teaching the most? With an English and Journalism filled schedule, there had to be one class Krikorian favored. After debating between the two, Krikorian concluded something we didn’t expect; there was no real answer.

“It comes down to why I like reading as opposed to why I like writing,” she began.  “As a reader, it’s interesting to be able to learn about different characters and their lives, just by reading about them. As a writer, I have the opportunity to create that.”

But even when you are so passionate about your subject, being a teacher can sometimes pose a challenge. Especially when thinking about how to keep your students engaged. Often, teachers are not up to date with trending social media or the latest vines, and many teachers even discourage conversation of these things in their classroom.

Krikorian however does just the opposite. She uses what students are interested in to her advantage. Catherine Sprouls ’19 describes how Krikorian keeps things entertaining, “Ms.Krikorian has been a great teacher to have starting my freshman year. She keeps things interesting by singing and making grammar jokes such as ‘Semi Colon Party Gorilla’ to help teach the class,” said Sprouls ’19.

Krikorian has almost completed her first year as a teacher and it seems as though she has found her calling. But, while searching for her career path in college, like most others, Krikorian had other interests. She was involved her in college’s a cappella group and even developed the ability to beat box. Although, ultimately, it was her love for reading and writing that shone through and landed her here at Staples.

But, Krikorian keeps her singing interest close to heart, so if you have her next year, ask her to sing you a song or maybe even beat box a little!