ASM Behind the Scenes
Season 1
by Jaime Gómez Arreche, Eco Cavero, and Sofia VanDonk
Born in Hue City, the ancient capital of Vietnam, Thy Carber pursued a teaching career at a high school outside of Hue, after graduation. There, students went to school in flood every winter and teachers sometimes had to sweep flood mud out of their classrooms. There, being one of the first teachers using technology in education, she started creating game-based lessons for students to get engaged in learning. After 5 years of teaching, she got the Ford Foundation scholarship to study for a Master in International Educational Development at Columbia University, New York, USA. Later, she worked as a teacher training coordinator for VVOB (a Belgium governmental organization), as an adjunct instructor at Endicott College, and as a curriculum specialist at a project-based learning school in the US. She likes traveling with the family (her most recent international trip was to Croatia), reading books (she just finished “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng), and spending time exploring Madrid. She is now a 6-12 grade instructional coach at ASM.
Terrence R. Dillon was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After finishing his BA in History and Economics with Secondary Education at Saint Joseph's University, New York, he explored multiple pathways including pre-med school and the service industry before becoming a secondary school teacher in the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). After six years in the NYC DOE, Terrence moved to Colombia as part of his graduate school studies and ended up staying for seven years, working as a coordinator, project team leader, and teacher of AP Economics, Current Events, and Contemporary Latin America at the Colegio Los Nogales in Bogotá. He completed his Master’s Degree in Political Science and Social History (Majority-Minority Dynamics) at Queens College in 2013, also working with programs at Columbia University and Harvard University during this period. Terrence is currently in his third year at the American School of Madrid, where he teaches IB Economics, Integrated Social Sciences, and Theory of Knowledge in the Upper School. He is also the Grade Level Leader for the Class of 2025. His passions include traveling to new places with his life partner, learning about the world and about his place in it, building strong relationships with those close to him, the social sciences, football (Liverpool Football Club and the USMNT), and dancing salsa.
Hailing from Fairbanks, Alaska; Hunter McCallister grew up on the ski trails and swimming pools. Upon graduating high school he was recruited to swim for and attend the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, where he completed his Bachelor's degree. The next four years were spent brewing coffee, working on boats, and coaching young aspiring swimmers. Hunter returned to UW to complete a Master of Education but was recruited partway through to come teach and build hands-on experience for students in Comunidad Madrid's Bilingual Secondary education. Hunter has been a technology educator at ASM for five years.
Born in Cork, Ireland, Felim Bolster graduated from High School in Ireland and went to Technical College for 2 years before transferring to study Medical Physics in the UK. Felim also trained to be a teacher in the UK and started his teaching career there. he has lived and taught in the UK, Abu Dhabi, Brussels, and now in Madrid and ASM. Felim believes that every student should be able to find their own individual journey in life and that not always are we ready when we are supposed to be ready. This was certainly the case for Felim when he left school. High School was a struggle for Felim in terms of feeling engaged, and being part of sports (Rugby) gave him a purpose at that time as well as taught him some very important life-long skills that he relies on to this day.
Rónán Dempsey was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. After finishing secondary education he attended University College Dublin, completing a degree in English Literature and Philosophy, and then a Master's Degree in Philosophy. He returned to university to complete a postgraduate diploma in education at Trinity College Dublin. He spent six years living and teaching in La Guajira, Colombia, and Bogotá, Colombia, before moving to Madrid in 2018. This is Rónán´s fifth year at the American School of Madrid, where he teaches high-school English, hosts the Philosophy ASA, and works as a Grade Level Leader, currently with the Class of 2023. He enjoys the varied, creative and social nature of working as a teacher in a high school.
ASM Behind the Scenes – the podcast where questions are asked and answers are provided – explores the things you don't know about the high school staff and alumni. Host seniors Jimena Roces, Jingyao Wang, and Sergio Merchan bring you stories and conversations about high school and college. You will find this podcast sometimes funny, sometimes awkward, but always relatable.