The Weight Lifted by a Scholarship

On a cold, snowy January afternoon in the heart of Boston, Molly Jane Sandborg ’27 was doing what she often does: preparing.

She is steadily working toward a future in the classroom — shaped by a love of literature, meaningful early teaching experiences, and the support of the Lynch Scholarship.

Sandborg, a Secondary Education and English double major from Fall River, Massachusetts, has just begun a pre-practicum at nearby Boston Latin School. She is also preparing, more broadly, for the long arc of becoming an educator: step by step, exam by exam, classroom by classroom.

She approaches that path with quiet seriousness and genuine enthusiasm for learning.

“I love the routine,” she said. “I just love learning.”

Sandborg is currently reading The Bell Jar, part of a self-imposed effort to revisit the classics. “If I’m going to be an English teacher,” she explained, “I need to read the books that my students will be reading.”

It is a practical impulse, but also a revealing one: Sandborg is drawn not only to literature, but to the responsibility of passing it on.

Finding a Place in Boston

Sandborg grew up in Fall River and attended a school she describes as culturally “flat,” a place where her world sometimes felt narrow. Emmanuel, by contrast, offered something wider — both geographically and intellectually, through an education program known for its rigor and support.

She arrived at Emmanuel with a clear sense of purpose. She wanted to teach. She wanted to work with young people at the age when identity and confidence are still forming.

Her early experiences in the College's Education Department confirmed that instinct. Through service learning at Mission Grammar School and a pre-practicum at Saint John Paul II School in Dorchester, she discovered what she had hoped was true: she loves the classroom.

“I had such a blast,” she said of working with middle school students. “It was so much fun.”

Faculty mentors have helped shape that path. Sandborg speaks highly of Sister Karen Hokanson, SND, Dean of the College of Education, a beloved presence in the department, as well as Deirdre Bradley-Turner, Associate Dean of Field Placements and School Partnerships, and Dr. Miriam Gates, Assistant Professor of Math Education, who have guided her through the practical realities of teaching.

Her English advisor, Kelly McGuire, Associate Professor of English, introduced her to one of her favorite academic obsessions: Shakespeare.

“I kind of nerd out about it,” she admitted.

The Cost of Becoming a Teacher

For many students, the journey into education is defined by passion. For others, it is shaped just as much by cost.

Sandborg is candid about the pressures her family faces. College, she said simply, is expensive. Life is expensive. And the weight of tuition can sit heavily in the background of even the most full and hopeful schedule.

That is where the Lynch Scholarship has made a profound difference. “It’s a huge help,” she said. “Any support that we can get, we just appreciate so much.”

The scholarship, she explained, offers something beyond financial assistance. It offers space — mental space, emotional space — the ability to focus on the demanding work of becoming a teacher without carrying quite so much worry.

“It really allows me not to have another thing at the back of my mind,” she said. “It’s just nice to have a little extra support.” In many ways, Emmanuel’s willingness to work closely with her family helped seal her decision to enroll. “They were very honest,” she said. “It was an open conversation. They gave as much as they could.”

A Future in the Classroom

Sandborg works on campus at Dunkin’ Donuts, one of the many places Emmanuel students pass through between classes. She describes herself as an introvert, not deeply involved in clubs, but fully immersed in the life of the college in other ways: residence halls, coursework, practicums, campus jobs.

“I don’t have anything negative to say,” she said. “Every professor — I’ve learned something from every one.”

She is also considering Emmanuel’s 4+1 program, which would allow her to earn a master’s degree in just one additional year, possibly with an add-on license in moderate disabilities — a path that would expand both her skills and her opportunities.

For now, she imagines staying in Boston after graduation, drawn to the city’s schools and communities. But she also has family in Florida, where teachers are in high demand. The future, she knows, is open.

What feels certain is the work itself: literature, adolescents, the classroom.

Sandborg began with a love of English — reading, writing, journals filled with private drafts and early poems. Teaching, she realized, was the most direct way to share that love.

“I want other people to get excited about it,” she said. “What is a way to get people excited about literature? Teach it.”

It is a simple answer, but an honest one. And with the support of the Lynch Scholarship, that ambition feels not only possible, but close.