thomas jefferson school

Michelle Ermatinger-Salas graduated from Thomas Jefferson in 2008. She was a three-sport Varsity athlete and awarded the Arete Award her senior year. She attended Ursinus College and designed her major: Renaissance Studies. During college, she volunteered with a local Fire Department while attending the Fire Academy and eventually worked as an Emergency Medical Technician. After 8years in public service, she left to focus on her health after a severe car accident. Currently, Michelle works as a Title I Paraprofessional in an elementary school and owns and operates her own business with the support of her significant other, and is expanding and rebranding that company. She still lives in Indiana with her fiancé, Brent, a Fire Marshal, and her stepdaughter, Ava. She is in regular communication with TJ alumni, including her best friends Ojoyi Agbo ('08), Rue Tsoka ('08), and Ravelle Lucero ('10)!

Joined by Jimmy Holloran, we discuss the impact of TJ's community post-graduation. We know what the strongest possible academic background means for someone's career, but in this conversation we explore how the feeling of a learning community carries through life.

In this episode we hear from Jim Pesek, an alumnus and current faculty member and the Director of Service Learning and Global Citizenship. With a unique experience at and after TJ, we're so lucky to have Mr. Pesek as a member of the TJ faculty.

This conversation with Jane Roth, Director of Academics at TJ is wide ranging. From how she found TJ to how we think about educating high-ability students, there is a lot covered in this conversation.

TJ has a number of stories to explore. As we look ahead to our next 75 years of the school's history, this series will take a look back at the past 75. We'll interview alumni to hear about their TJ journey: before, during, and after.