Emily (Martin) Mullan '97
English Teacher

How long have you been a part of the SUA community?
Since fall 1997

What is your position/affiliation to SUA?
Alumna, teacher, soon-to-be parent of a JA Arrow

What are you most proud of being affiliated with SUA?
I'm proud of being a teacher! I was so personally impacted and inspired by my teachers when I was a student here, so being a teacher myself is a role that I am very grateful for and take very seriously.

What SUA Core Value is most meaningful to you, and why?
Development of the Whole Person is the core value that is most meaningful to me. Yes, I'm confident that our academics can prepare our students for college and careers, I'm proud that our leadership focus can prepare our girls to feel confident in all situations, and I'm glad that our wide range of sports and extracurriculars helps students learn more about themselves and others; however, it is the focus on the development of the whole person that, in my mind, lays the foundation for all the academic and extracurricular successes of each girl. With every member of the school—faculty and staff—contributing to the development of the whole person, we can help each girl understand herself, be her best, and contribute to her communities both now and in life after school.

How she has impacted students:
"I met Mrs. Mullan for the first time during my busiest semester in what has been notoriously (but justifiably) dubbed, “the hardest year of high school.” My life was constant chaos and stress, but no matter what was on my plate, every school day I looked forward to going to third-block AP Language. Mrs. Mullan made AP Lang my "pocket of peace" throughout the hectic fall semester. I learned more from her in a week about literature, culture, and—honestly—myself than I have in full school years. You can tell she truly cares more about her students understanding the information than just testing well on it. I will never forget how much support she gave me when I was struggling because of a 1.5-week absence from COVID-19 contact tracing and how much she cared to make sure I genuinely understood rhetorical analysis after the fact. Not only did Mrs. Mullan keep all of her students engaged, but she also made us want to learn—and I know for a fact that if there is anyone who genuinely has a calling to be a teacher, it is Mrs. Mullan."

- Hannah Chung '23