Sharon Montoya

10/30/22

I was the second female, born into a middle-class Jewish family living in Brooklyn. I was a good student, worked hard to be in the Arista Honor Society, studied French and went straight to Brooklyn College where I was an English major. I got good grades, but Math was my nemesis.

I worked as a teacher for the New York City Board of Education, where I taught Middle School English. Teaching was like acting for me. I put on a show daily with drawings, paintings and crafts since I’m artistic and wove the crafts into my lessons.

After my kids were in college, I decided to join the US Peace Corps (something I had always wanted to do since my college days). So, at the age of 59, I lived for 27 months with my host family: the Feliciano’s in Cavite, Philippines. For me, it truly was “the best job you’ll ever love” though I lived through two horrendous floods.

I chose Broadview because it seemed like a vibrant community where I thought I could still teach and further develop my talents through participation in many courses and find like-minded friends to share this next stage of my life.