Standing in the same classroom she sat in eight years ago, Ms. Troiano looks out at a view both familiar and new. Having been a student at Kent herself, Ms. Troiano now works in the English Department after studying English, Biology and minoring in Neuroscience at Williams College. Although she looked for lab jobs and prepared for graduate school in biology, Ms. Troiano realized that she cared a lot more about English. 

During the pandemic, Ms. Troiano enjoyed transitioning to a community with which she was already comfortable. Ms. O’Dwyer, her former English teacher, interviewed Ms. Troiano for the job. Upon her settling in at Kent, Ms. Troiano received a warm welcome from many people on campus, who gave her couches, beds, paintings, clocks, and plants to make her apartment feel more like home. 

As a student, Ms. Troiano had a busy life. Aside from taking Biology, Genetics, Bio-Technology, Anatomy, French Literature, and doing an English independent study with Mr. Hunt, she came to campus every day from New York State, served as an Editor for the Kent News, and danced outside of school on the weekends. To pursue her passion in dance, she convinced the athletic director to allow her to choose dance as her afternoon activity all three terms. 

Currently, Ms. Troiano teaches English 2 and English 3 Honors. She loves grading papers and giving people feedback. “Maybe I’m an editor at heart,” joked Ms. Troiano. Inside the classroom, Ms. Troiano hopes students realize that “the study of English is the study of everything, since stories much up pretty much all we know. If you can learn about languages and stories, then you’re building a toolbox to learn about anything.” 

A resident of Case Dorm, Ms. Troiano enjoys being a dorm parent and knowing her students from a different perspective after the academic day. She helps girls connect their laptops to wifi on the second day of school, when the tech center closes, and opens doors for those who forgot their ID cards. Occasionally, she bakes desserts to treat Case girls when she is on duty. “Faculty life at Kent is both harder and more fun than I’d expected,” Ms. Troiano grinned.