February 25, 2013
Ryan
Randall ’07Ed can’t help but laugh when she thinks back on her
senior year in high school – and how her student days at St. John’s
University almost never happened!
“The funny thing is, St. John’s wasn’t even on my list of
schools back then,” recalled Randall, a Maryland native who is
currently working as Instructional Technology Coordinator at
Nicholas Orem Middle School in Hyattsville, MD.
“My parents and I decided to visit the Queens campus one weekend,
just to see it,” she added, “and that’s when it hit me: this place
was perfect. It was in the city, yet still had a true campus feel,
and I came away excited to join the big stage of New York.”
In fact, Randall got to experience that big stage literally,
becoming a member of the St. John’s Cheerleading program and
dancing in front of packed houses at Madison Square Garden. Those
years on the squad – which Randall affectionately calls her “glory
days” – also provided her the opportunity to travel with the Red Storm, seeing the
country and bonding with her teammates.
“I’ll never forget my first game at the Garden,” she explained. “I
was a little bit overwhelmed, but being under that spotlight can
help prepare you for anything.”
These days, Randall is under a different kind of spotlight. In her
current teaching and administrative position, she commands the
attention of an entire school full of students, coordinating the
implementation of technology in the classroom. It’s a far cry from
cheerleading, but Randall has always been passionate about
teaching, and she believes that tablets have truly changed the
dynamic between teachers and students.
“Every resource you can imagine is available to students on the
Internet,” she noted. “What I’m noticing today is that teachers
establish a topic, but then they take on the role of facilitator,
assisting students as they use iPads to explore more information.
You see, students can now obtain knowledge on their own – it’s up
to the teachers to help the students collaborate and take that data
to the next level.”
Randall’s passion for the classroom intensified while studying in
St. John’s The
School of Education. Today, her ultimate goal is to become a
principal, and she is confident that what she learned at the
University will help her reach that objective.
“St. John’s was so unique and helpful because of the mentorship
component,” she said. “Not only were professors there to guide you
along the way, but fellow students and friends also provided me
with their guidance. In fact, I still keep in touch with them to
this day.”
Although she spends countless hours at her job, Randall still finds
time to coach cheerleading in the Maryland area, and she’s never
shy about promoting St. John’s. She remains committed to the
University by attending welcoming events for new students in the
Maryland/DC area and by speaking as a panelist at the Alumni
Insider’s View…U.S. Capital Program.
“I loved every moment of my time at St. John’s and would do it all
over again in a heartbeat,” she said. “Back when I was a freshman,
there were only a handful of students like myself from Maryland,
but that number has been growing and growing, which is exciting to
see.”
She’s also excited for her own future, eager to put her talents on
display and climb the administrative ladder.
“If I can do all this in a classroom, imagine what I could do with
a whole building as a principal,” she noted. “And it’s thanks to my
time at St. John’s – both the education and the extracurricular
opportunities – that I have so much confidence.”