North Harford High School gained many new faces just in time for the 2016-2017 school year. Hailing all the way from Chicago and then Georgia, Ms. Austin attended University of Georgia for her undergrad, and Mercer University in Macon, Georgia for her master’s degree.

One thing is definite, Georgia was a lot different for Austin than Maryland. “It’s a lot warmer in Georgia, there’s so much more humidity,” she says.

Teaching in Harford County is unlike teaching in Georgia as well. “I really love the small class size. You guys may not think it’s small, but in Georgia I had about 35-36 students in all of my classes.”

Moving from Georgia to Maryland has been a big change for her. “I’m still getting used to everything. I grew up right outside of the city, so it’s a complete change of environment,” Austin states.

Austin moved to Disney in Orlando, Florida after college for work. “I did a bunch of different things, I sold tickets, I worked with Timeshares off property that gifted or sold Disney tickets, and I also worked for the time shares on Disney property,” says Austin.

Austin has had nothing but a positive impression from North Harford so far. “It’s a great school! I love the community, and I love the different curriculums they have here,” Austin is very impressed with the amount of pathways North Harford High School has to offer, “Back in Georgia, it was you were either college bound, or you weren’t. Here, there’s so many different departments you can go into. You can go into agriculture, business, it’s just amazing,” she states.

When Austin was choosing to work at North Harford, her decision was impacted personally. “The main reason was the barn. I absolutely love the barn, I love the idea of being close to animals, my mom actually grew up on a farm and it brings me closer to her, since she’s back in Georgia,” says Austin.

Austin has always had a passion for math, and loves teaching it. “When I was back in high school, I would always help my fellow students out and tutor them in math. It’s just always really interesting.” Austin believes that it’s good to be challenged, and tries to challenge her students every day in class. “Math is where you’re given something and it’s a puzzle that has to be solved,” she states.