Q: What is your name and pronouns?
“My name is Edwina Koch, my pronouns are she/her”
Q: What is your position at Lincoln?
“My position is kind of complicated, I have one title [which] is the attendance coach, but I’m also the intern for the social workers here. These two roles kind of work hand in hand, because attendance is just a symptom of something else that’s going on, and so when things come up, I’m able to help people feel more connected to certain resources that we have, which relates to social work.”
Q: What made you want to come to Lincoln?
“[Mr. Johnson] and I used to work together at his old high school, McDaniel, and he recruited me. After budget cuts, my position at McDaniel was cut. So it was like, ‘shoot, I love this job, but I don’t know what to do now.” So then Travis found out that I got cut, and he was like, ‘Hey, we have this position opening, I think you’d be great at it,” and it was in the realm of stuff that I already do. It was kind of a perfect fit. Because I’m in grad school right now, getting my master’s to be a social worker in high schools, it’s really good for me to have a different experience in different schools.”
Q: Where were you before this?
“Before I came to Lincoln, I used to work at McDaniel High School in the Northeast, and I [had] multiple roles. I first started working there for a program called Step Up, which helps marginalized students have a support system at school. Then, I worked as a Student Success Advocate. [It was] a very similar job, but I was working more for the school and not just for a small nonprofit within the school. Before that, I worked for College Access. I was helping students who couldn’t afford to go to college or were first generation across the US. Before that, I lived in France for six years, and I was doing many different things.”
Q: Why did you decide to go into teaching?
“The reason I work in education is because I get to talk to students and have an office that allows students to feel like they have a safe space. I’m really excited about any type of thing that allows me to get relationships with students and their families.”
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
“I surf and I do gymnastics. I do a lot of cycling, rollerblading and roller skating. I recently took up Surf Skate, which is like skateboarding for practicing surfing. I do gymnastics and handstands. I like practicing languages. So I speak French, of course, and then I’m learning Spanish. I try to learn something new every year.
Q: What are you looking forward to this school year?
“I’m really looking forward to finding the creativity in my position. I’m [also] really excited about any type of thing that allows me to get relationships with students and their families.”
