Interview of New Faculty: Part 2

Ophelia Ke

1. Where are you from? What did you do before coming here?

2. What do you do here at Cate? What’s your history in that field?

3. How are you adjusting to the beginning of your Cate career being online?

4. What are you most looking forward to this year? What do you hope to do further into the future?

5. How do you hope to influence the Cate community during your time here?

6. What are some things that you like doing during your free time?

7. What’s a cool fact about yourself?

Avani Shah (Director of Marketing and Communications)

1. I am originally from North Carolina, but I was born and raised in California for most of my life. Before I came to Cate, I worked for a number of different schools across the country, including Ravenscroft School, the Columbus School for Girls, and most recently, Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles.

2. At Cate, I am the Director of Marketing and Communications. I’m an advisor as well, which I think is another important role that I take up here. Lastly, I’m also a dorm parent for Schoolhouse. And before Care, I worked in education for nearly ten years.

3. It has been like nothing else I’ve experienced in my career. There was already going to be a learning curve, but on top of that, I now have this added pressure from COVID. At first, it was extremely strange, but I took every opportunity to connect and engage with the students in the digital setting.

4. I am most looking forward to being in this space with students. You often take this for granted in education, but it is what recharges our batteries. Not having these side conversations and brief check-ins has been very peculiar.

5. I hope to be able to connect with people and infuse them with joy. It’s our job to tell the stories of the people that make up our institutions. This is why I think the biggest role is to build up relationships in this community.

6. I’m incredibly cool, so I like doing puzzles and reading in my free time. I listen to podcasts, I enjoy old-school Bollywood music, and I love spending time with my puppy, Echo.

7. When I was sixteen years old, I worked for NASA because I was convinced that I wanted to be an astronaut.

Hannah Solis-Cohen/"Soco" (History Teacher)

1. I am from New York City. I rowed at UVA and was also a history major there. Before Cate, I got my Master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. During that time, I also taught at the Hopkins School in Connecticut.

2. This year, I am teaching World History and U.S. History. I am a dorm parent in Long House, and I will also be coaching track and field, as well as cross country. I went to a boarding school, so I’ve always loved that lifestyle. It was extremely appealing to me to come back to this environment. I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone.

3. Each day is a little bit different, but I think the highlight for me is meeting Cate kids. It really reminds me why this place is so awesome. It has definitely been an adjustment, seeing the empty dorm, but day by day, significant moments in the first few weeks were very energizing.

4. I am really looking forward to coaching cross country and track. I’m excited to do that along with Coach Mase and Mr. Weis. Outside of Cate, I also enjoy biking.

5. The thing I work on on a daily basis is to help students develop a love of learning. I hope to instill the idea that learning is not based on the grades that you receive. Instead, being curious and questioning is emphasized here at Cate. In the future, I would love to get to know Cate kids better and what they think makes this such a special place.

6. I love to cycle. And I love playing with dogs. I’m Remy’s, aunt and I’d like that to be on the record. Other than that, I take every opportunity to be outside and be active.

7. I have an irrational fear of Jell-O. And I also make really good tacos.

Ge Song (Chinese Teacher)

1. I am originally from Northeastern China. Before I came to Cate, I taught at Hotchkiss, Loomis Chaffee, and Dulwich College.

2. I am teaching every level of Chinese at Cate. That was actually the focus of my degree in graduate school. When I was in school, linguistics was always something that I was interested in.

3. It is a little bit challenging. The schedule that I am used to starts off with an introduction with my students, so I can establish myself as a trustworthy person. But in the end, I adjusted very well because the students here are brilliant, and my co-workers are very helpful.

4. Right now, I really hope that I can see everyone back on campus. It is too challenging for learning to be completely virtual. Another thing I am looking forward to is supporting the development of the different cultural clubs on campus.

5. I would love to help out with any cultural activities at Cate. I would also like to help my students become adept in Chinese. The biggest thing, however, is that I would like to support every student on campus and help everyone fit in.

6. I love hanging out with my new Golden Retriever puppy, Maple. I also enjoy reading books.

7. I make wonderful dumplings and delicious durian cakes, even though most people might be afraid of a durian cake.