Faculty Friday Spotlight: Ms. Mee Byun

Happy #FacultyFriday! This week we are spotlighting the last of this year’s new teachers, Ms. Mee Byun! Ms. Byun teaches English Writing, English 1 Honors, and one section of English 3. She will also be joining our students on the upcoming Kairos retreat in a few weeks.

Ms. Byun grew up in Philadelphia, PA and moved to Boston to attend Boston College. Growing up, she had many experiences and influential people that helped her ultimately decide to go into the Lynch School of Education at BC and become a teacher. The most powerful of these was the service work she did through her church as a 9th grader. Every Monday after school, she tutored inner city elementary school students and was devastated to discover these children did not have the resources to excel and, as a result, their learning level was far behind what she expected. One student who particularly stood out to Ms. Byun was a 4th grader with learning difficulties who could not read. Ms. Byun was heartbroken that he was “passed through the education system without the help he needed” because the school did not have the resources to diagnose and help him succeed. At this point in life, she knew that becoming a teacher and a resource for children was her calling.

To Ms. Byun, teaching offered her a way to do something beyond herself. The decision to pursue English as her focus was encouraged by her 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Levandoski. He was passionate about teaching others how to communicate and allowed his students to express their feelings and fight for themselves. He was so enthusiastic about literature that he even had a tattoo of Walt Whitman on his arm!

Because of these factors, Ms. Byun was thrilled to have the opportunity to join our community, especially after she learned about the many extracurricular activities students are engaged in at Saint Joseph Prep. While in high school, she was very involved in the leadership opportunities available to her, including being the president of the National Honors Society. She was also an avid member of many other activities, including Art Club, Key (Service) Club, Stage Crew, Knitting Club, Debate Team, along with being a Library Aid for six years! Being part of all of these groups shaped her high school experience, so she was excited to work with a group of students who were just as involved as she was.

Outside of SJP, Ms. Byun is a dedicated boxer! She began boxing this past September and is training for a fight in May. She also has volunteered at her church for the past four years doing children’s ministry every Sunday. Although she teaches six days a week, she considers herself an introvert and recharges by taking time to read or draw.

Thank you Ms. Byun for telling us your history and about your passion for teaching!