For International Women’s Day, we sat down with Indiana University High School principal Dr. Rebecca Itow to talk about her time with IUHS and women who have inspired her.
Q: Obviously you’re IUHS’ principal now, but how did you get your start in education?
Dr. Itow: Apparently, everyone in my life knew that I was going to be a teacher except for me! I have been teaching through choreography, theatre, music, and crafting since I was small, but I fell in love with teaching in the early 2000s. I was teaching 10 minute playwriting and dance at California State University Northridge (CSUN) and in local schools around Los Angeles. I am so grateful to the principal of Emmerson Middle School who encouraged me to earn my teaching license!
Q: What initially brought you to IUHS?
Dr. Itow: In 2012, Senior Assistant Vice Provost Mike Beam called my PhD advisor Dan Hickey to help IUHS innovate its curricular structure to align with revised NCAA approval guidelines and new accreditation standards for online learning. Since my expertise and research focus on how teachers learn in online environments, working with IUHS was a perfect fit. six years later, I had facilitated teacher professional development for, designed courses with, and wrote my dissertation about IUHS. I just had to apply for the principal position!
Q: With International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month front of mind, who are some influential women in your life?
Dr. Itow: I was raised by and grew alongside a village of powerful, strong women who came up against massive hurdles and pushed boundaries and broke ceilings. The most influential of these women is my mother. It is my life goal to grow up one day to be as insightful, as loving, as persistent, as accomplished, as gorgeous, and as empowering of others as she is. My mom used to dress up as influential women in history and visit classrooms to teach us about their accomplishments and inspire us to continue the work. In fact, she was so great at this that Astronaut Sally Ride sent my mom her flight suit! WITH the patches on it! The day that I got to wear that suit and play Sally Ride was joyous (and I still have that suit in my closet)!
Q: Have any students, now alumni, gone on to inspire you with their work after graduating from IUHS?
Dr. Itow: Oh, yes! Our IUHS students – current and former – inspire me every day! Here are just a few:
Ashley’s tenure at IUHS inspires me every day. She used the learning structures at IUHS to make space for her own healing from illness, and shared her story to help others coping with eating disorders know that the path toward wellness might not look the same for everyone.
Maria Amanda came to IUHS in search of a safe place to learn that would nurture her love of the environment and engineering. Her work is directly impacting the environment and our lives!
Bristyle overcame significant challenges to balance school, work, and life while attending IUHS. Working with Bristyle and her mother to support this student in achieving her goal still warms my heart!
Q: How do you hope to impact your students as a female educator and principal?
Dr. Itow: It is my daily work to ensure that the way I move through the world demonstrates for others that – no matter what internal or external challenges you face – you are strong, you are powerful, and you are not alone. The road ahead is long, and full of joys and stresses and challenges and successes. Shine! Shine because when we step into the spotlight rather than away from it, we empower others to do the same. And bonus! you make the world a brighter place to be!