LAURA WALKER

Middle School French Teacher Laura Walker grew up in Indianapolis, Ind., where she was a cheerleader and a Girl Scout. She recalls with amazement, camping on horseback in the woods for 2-3 days with no cell phones and a counselor who was no older than 20! They pitched tents, bedded down the horses, and cooked their meals over an open fire. At Howard University she considered majoring in zoology, economics, and business, but none of them felt right. When it came time to decide, her counselor looked at her transcript and suggested French, the only subject she took consistently. Laura followed her counselor’s advice and received a bachelor’s in French and a master’s in Afro-French literature. She joined the faculty at SSSAS 33 years ago and has taught French in the Lower and Middle Schools. A highlight of her career as a Saint was studying in Rennes, France through an APT Holden Summer Study Fellowship. She has three fond memories of her time in France. 1) Getting lost on the bus going “home” from class—because being in a situation like that required her to find the necessary French words; 2) eating delicious artichokes for the first time; and 3) having an evening picnic with her host family and realizing it was still light at nearly 10:30 p.m.! In the classroom, Laura’s students have fun learning through singing songs in French (especially at Christmas) and playing number and vocabulary games. She particularly enjoys making yummy crepes with her students! Laura suggests that her students watch their favorite animated Disney movies in French as a learning tool. Since they know the storyline, they can really focus on the language. Speaking of Disney, it’s actually Laura’s happy place. She also loves spending full days at the beach. Outside the classroom, Laura has been married to husband Damion for 31 years and they have two sons, Jordan ’18 and Brendon. Although she is a true homebody, Laura is very active in her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, where there is always something to do to uplift and help the community. Laura’s favorite movies include “Ready or Not,” “Brown Sugar,” “The Usual Suspects,” “The Matrix,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo” (2002). And wait for it…she is currently binge-watching the anime, “One Piece.” When she is not buying another pair of shoes to add to the 50 in her closet, Laura is focused on enjoying each day as it comes. Two quotes resonate with her, “You can worry or you can trust God, but you can’t do both,” (Howard-John Westley, Senior Pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church), and “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything,” (Mark Twain). She is inspired by the women in her family, for what they have accomplished and the confidence they instilled in her. For Laura, success is feeling happy and content with who you are, and striving every day to be the best person you can be.