Eamon Goucher graduated from Yale in 2022 with a degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B). As a first-year, he had no idea that he wanted to study education. “Up until my junior fall, I was a pretty enthusiastic STEM kid on the pre-med track,” he remembers. “Then, I took an introductory philosophy class that made me deeply reflect on what I wanted to do with my life––science is interesting, but more and more it started to feel humanistically thin and kind of detached from people.” At the same time, Eamon decided to take EDST 110. It quickly became clear that the detour was well worth his time. “Things started to click, and I decided that this was the kind of meaningful direction that I wanted to go in,” he remembers. “Everyone’s experiences in education are so different, but I think it has this wonderful potential to open people up to new ideas and help people determine who they want to be. A lot of good can come from that.”
Broadly, Eamon is interested in decolonizing education, alternative pedagogies, and schools as centers of communities. His senior capstone was focused on the latter. “My capstone is all about exploring how Yale students form meaningful connections with the New Haven community and what those relationships look like,” he explained before graduating. Nowadays, Eamon has turned his attention to day-to-day life in the classroom. He is currently teaching high school chemistry in Greenwich, CT and completing a master’s degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Eamon characterizes EDST faculty as “just wonderful.” He is especially grateful for Professor Talya Zemach-Bersin (TZB), who has pushed him to recognize the racist and colonial aspects of education. TZB’s dog, Frankie, is also a high point for Eamon. “Anytime Frankie comes on camera, it’s a highlight of my day,” he says, “especially when he’s wearing one of his onesies or outfits.”