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Interview with Mrs. Kiernan | Monarch Media

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Editors Caroline Miele '24 and Allie Urbanski '24 sit down with Mrs. Theresa Kiernan, Trinity Hall head of school to talk to her about her new position, her journey with Trinity Hall and her hopes for the student body.

Show Transcript

how did you feel when you were selected as the head of school honored so I felt incredibly honored I felt a deep sense of responsibility I really really loved Trinity Hall and I really truly believe in the mission and I really I just I took off on you know this sense of responsibility because I love so much and I really want to care for the school and for the students and the students you know you girls now over here and the girls are coming in the future I always want to you girls will always be important to me because it's important to me to maintain what Trinity Hall is for you going into the future you know because I think so many of our graduates really closely associated with being at Trinity Hall alone that's something to be proud of and I always want you to be proud of the school so kind of maintaining the Integrity the audacity academic Integrity but also the the the community in the spirit and the mission of the school is I mean that's a huge responsibility in addition to thinking just like that you know every day if somebody has a fender bender in the parking lot I saw her this morning she was she stopped traffic because the new driver was like trying to back in your Park and get it back up and get it was like in the midst of everybody arriving so little fender benders happen or whatever but you know whatever whatever happens in the day-to-day that makes the day but also that kind of Asian so that's kind of a long-winded answer but I felt you know certainly honored and just a real willingness to take on that kind of responsibility what qualities do you think I have made you an outstanding out of school and how does it relate to the core value will thank you for suggesting that school what was the question of what what are the qualities that I think I bring to it I think I think I'm I think I've a lot of energy for Trinity Hall just because it's so interesting to me and because I you have such a good institutional memory of everything that happens like you know we can talk about all those videos from 2013 and I did a lot of them so I feel like just the one jevity is night having here for a while but also I think you have to understand that things change so you have to be a little bit more Nimble as you know as we've grown as students change as hairstyles that you kind of have to go with the flow a bit so I think and I'm really very very curious person and I'm really interested in people and I'm really interested in connecting with people and I think that that is one of my kind of stronger qualities in that I I consider myself a professional Communicator so being able to make connections with people whether it's students whether it's parents whether it's somebody you know Executives from Netflix or you know I just had a meeting with the Tinton Falls playing Boro aboard this morning and anybody that I can impart the mission of City Hall and make that connection when people I think that's really where kind of my maybe my does that count. I think I just have and then just a real desire to do hard work you can do hard things like that you really can't like you just have to just like you know accept the fact that things are really hard and be willing to put in the work which you guys do nose have them for 4 years so what is the best part about working at Trinity Hall students you guys are the best part of my day anytime I'm having like a a challenging kind of day or like I feel like I'm stuck in this room and I'm just sick to death of like whatever I'm doing budget or you know something that's maybe not as exciting literally all I have to do is take a 10-minute walk and then it reminds me immediately referring to my day except my perspective to where it needs today it's always about the students everything we do is about the students and you guys are the best part of my day how do you set up the Trinity Hall education and Community contributes to Greater opportunities and representation for women across so I think that it's Trinity. Just all girls education is so important in so many different ways why don't people know more about when is health issues that feels like it's because there were more women in research and in the in the roles in which can you note that can fund research all of those gaps that we see then as we get older as we experience life it's because we've been in this for so long it's 2023 and it's still we're still feeling that historically men have had to say in these kinds of things our perspective wasn't represented in really pass away so getting back to the question I thank you note for the betterment of women's health for the betterment of commuter communities across the world I think that our communities have strong women and being able to generate strong smart educated women is crucial for the betterment of society in the future I always want to be the head of school this position in the back of your mind when started first starting at Trinity Hall no it really wasn't my background is I was a cat before I had my daughter and I worked in the New York City and I feel like if I didn't you start a career and then you stopped to have children and I need to go back to your career or you have the Gap in your career and you kind of have to change track like I would have been running something in New York City if I didn't have a gap in my in my professional life but my professional life is somewhere else New York City is not family friendly so I stopped there and I started Trinity at Trinity Hall because I believe very strongly in women's education never once did I think I would be head of school or intern had you know which which is what I am now so it never once I always just wanted to do whatever I was asked to do and you know that and the skills that I needed some is guilt or inherit some of the skills are learn and Bryant and you know how to school there's a lot of stuff behind the scenes I'm very comfortable behind the scenes but there's also a lot of stuff that is in front of everybody and that's I'm less comfortable with that but I'm getting better at that so I didn't come into this head of school but I have a deep desire to do what's best for you and at this moment in time that's what the school need it and I'm happy to an honor to be asked to serve what's your main goal for the 2023 24 School this year is I really want I really want to bring we had kind of covid really is are you girls at seniors like covid really took a bite out of your high school experience just you know the spirit of it and and getting back to the fun that we have and I think that it took us a while to kind of get back to that to be clear of that you know just the and everything that all the fun that covid-19 took away and we kind of had to repair those that sense of that Spirit of fun and I think the senior class has done a really good job of kind of bringing that back of kind of demanding that we have fun and end at the same time work really hard like work hard play hard right so I think bringing back enjoying it call like being here and having it not be you know I got to go to school today I mean sometimes you do feel that way like a school I got to sit there all day enjoyment to really enjoy being with your classmates really enjoy being with your teachers and to have this you know can I come you don't love that you feel like you're important here that's I want everybody to know like every girl I want them to feel like their it's important for not just the individual classes that you sit in but also when we sit together as a community when we when you're walking down the hallway as he knows each and every individual is important and I really I think that was that's the that's the biggest part of covid relief hard was that we couldn't have that sense of community in the same way so more fun and a sense of you know I want every girl to come in let them know how important they are the Community Health Center on kindness frequently the school year what is your reasoning behind this and what do you hope will be our greatest take away from this year you can never have too much kindness nobody's ever complaining that they were treated with too much kindness kindness is like a thing that it's just it's a it's a it's a gift that keeps on giving I think you do for me never I'm in doubt about how I should approach this situation I always try try to not always easy it's not a place of kindness to assume that whoever you know if you're dressing something that's difficult assume that they're coming from a good place to you know so you come from a place of kindness come from place of not necessarily it needs to be happening but like forgive that you're you're you're coming at it from that place because kind of you can you can never have too much kindness and I don't know I just I think everybody could use more of it I think that I believe very strongly I know High School is really hard it's really hard it's very formative years right and it's really hard and you spend so much time here not 1 single girl comes to Trinity Hall wanting to be a mean girl or wanting to be in a drama-filled environment we're still high school have disagreements I think that if you can just remind people just be kind it reminds them of why they wanted to come to Trinity Hall because they want to be treated with kindness they want to be treated with respect and so that's just a very simple thing that I think if I can just stay in every time because I think everybody just needs to be reminded so not really a thief answer but that's why what is your advice for the trolls and leadership as women in the workforce I think to know and this is and I'm saying this to you to individual as well because I think there's a lot of perfectionism in these grow in in in the girls write you guys you want everything to be really really everything that you do to be really really good and I think that knowing that if something doesn't come easily doesn't mean you're not good at it. if it feels uncomfortable if you have to work really hard to achieve a goal like it doesn't mean you're not good at it you might have to work hard at it but doesn't mean you're you're you can't do it so just because something doesn't come easy doesn't mean it can't be something that's exceptional about you you can you can really do anything and the last question is how have you combated male dominance in the workplace what are your recommendations for other women I think for me in a while I kind of grew up in a different time than you have more with your like moms and dads so I think it was you know like this was for like I was in college when Anita Hill like sexual harassment was even saying and so my early work experiences were when there is an adjusted I think I would I would say my advice to you girls and the women that you will be someday is just to support other women really support other women and show support that simple way to you know help all women is to support other women and too not gay not get tied up in in pettiness to really just do the job that you're you're meant to do to to be professional and to do it to the best of your ability I'm to really just support other women and to take every opportunity to improve professionally I think that's important to don't you know if you're the only woman room that's okay your pick up space use your voice you know don't make yourself smaller know that your Viewpoint and your voice are just as legitimate as anyone else's take up space that's what that is what my my advisor be for both of you

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Interview with Mrs. Kiernan | Monarch Media

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