Ariella Fleischer

Ariella Fleischer ’22, ’24 is exactly where she always wanted to be: at the front of a high school classroom, teaching social studies.

“You’re doing what you love, and you’re doing it for the kids,” says Fleischer, who teaches at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, near her hometown of Westford. “It’s meaningful. They’re going to be doctors, lawyers, construction workers, bus drivers. They’re going to do the work that makes the world run.”

With a longtime love of both teaching and history, Fleischer found the combination she was looking for at UMass Lowell, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history and continued for a master of education in curriculum and instruction for secondary education.

Fleischer had attended several accepted students’ days at other schools and was still considering her options when she visited UMass Lowell and met History Professor Christopher Carlsmith.

“He was bouncing off the walls, excited for history, and I was like, ‘This is where I belong,’” she says.

After her freshman year was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fleischer appreciated the college experience more than ever when she returned to campus. She and a group of classmates spent hours in Dugan Hall 106, a gathering place for history students, and were dubbed the “Corner Crew” by History Professor Christoph Strobel.

“We lived in Dugan 106,” Fleischer says. “I really felt at home.”

Fleischer served as president of the History Club for two and a half years and enjoyed being surrounded by students who shared her enthusiasm for the subject, even though they were pursuing different careers.

“The community I found within the History Department is something that I think was what kept me so engaged during my undergrad experience,” she says. “I was surrounded by people who loved history as much as I did.”

Fleischer credits the master’s program with preparing her for the realities of teaching, through classroom observations and a full-semester practicum at her former high school, Westford Academy.

Her first year as a high school teacher was challenging, she says, as she had to develop many of her lesson plans from scratch. But she has grown more confident with each passing year.

“Now I’m in a groove,” she says. “Now I’ve got it.”

Fleischer’s connection with students extends beyond the classroom: She serves as a class adviser, participates in committees at the high school and coaches Unified Basketball.

“Seeing my students thrive outside of the classroom is just as rewarding as seeing them thrive in my classroom,” she says.