Matilda Sieger ’25 and Delilah Ivanek ’26 love the classroom. Sieger, an English major with a minor in 6-12 education, is student teaching 10th grade English this spring at Roanoke’s Patrick Henry High School. She is president of Hollins’ chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), the national education honor society. Ivanek, a double major in elementary education and psychology and the incoming KDP chapter president, works as a teaching aide at The Community School across the road from Hollins.
In March 2025, the pair joined 92 other early-career educators for two days of professional development, keynote sessions, and mentorship opportunities at Teachers of Promise (TOPS) Institute in Richmond, Va., the first-ever Hollins education students selected to attend the TOPS program.
Each TOPS participant was part of a small cohort based on interest areas such as special education or STEAM. Ivanek was inspired by TOPS sessions on social-emotional learning. “It’s a big buzzword in education, but to see how it’s applied in classroom routines was incredible,” says Ivanek, who shared curriculum ideas with fellow math and science educators.
“The people we met at TOPS are learning similar things and working in similar situations, but we’re all at the same place in our career and asking the same questions about [teaching and classroom strategies],” adds Sieger “To be able to cross paths and get their insight is amazing.
She also credits her TOPS mentor, Dr. Shameka Gerald, for encouraging her to extend grace to herself as a developing educator. Sieger plans to pursue an M.Phil. in Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin before returning to teach in New York City. As a junior, she completed a teaching internship abroad in Limerick, Ireland, where she taught English as a foreign language in a private school.
The Hollins education department fully funded Ivanek and Sieger’s participation and hopes to send up to five students in 2026.
Hollins faculty Ann a Baynum, associate professor of education and chair of the education department, and Aimee Brenner, visiting associate director of teacher preparation accreditation and assessment, accompanied Ivanek and Sieger to TOPS. Brenner, who has been involved with TOPS since 2013, brought the opportunity to Hollins upon joining the faculty in 2025. “TOPS treats students like professionals, giving them direct access to award-winning educators and invaluable networks,” she says.
In response to Virginia’s push for standalone education majors, Hollins launched a new elementary education major and secondary education minor in fall 2023. Previously, education at Hollins was offered only as a licensure program paired with another major. The new major has sparked growing interest among students. In response, the department is developing first-year cohorts and designing a cohesive sequence of coursework and experiential opportunities that students can navigate together.
“The Hollins Education department is a community-facing, research-driven department with sustained community partnerships focusing on the educational, social, and emotional development of children,” Baynum says.
Ivanek and Seiger volunteer at the nonprofit Turn the Page Books and Breakfast program, which provides a free weekend breakfast and free books to marginalized families at Roanoke’s Hurt Park Elementary School. Ivanek is also involved in providing books for early bonding and language acquisition work at The Grove on Patterson, a Roanoke facility supporting pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorder and their infants.
Ivanek, who has conducted award-winning research on child development with Assistant Professor of Psychology Seung-Hee Han, continued her early literacy work while home in Seattle this past January-Term. She shared language acquisition resources in a class presentation to ten families and provided books to the NICU and labor and delivery units at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
“We want our students to be culturally aware, responsive, engaging educators who understand the context in which [their students] grow up,” adds Baynum. “Delilah and Matilda are giving their best efforts in their coursework, practicum, and internship work and are interested in making the world a better place.”
