Maxfield McKenna only taught for two years before leaving for new opportunities at the nation’s capital in Washington DC. But in those two years, he managed to help pioneer change for the school’s entire baseball team and interact with students as both a teacher and a dorm parent.

McKenna hopes that his love and appreciation for learning and sports translate well with his new job at Headfirst Camps, which help run showcase camps for high school baseball players who want to play in college, youth camps for kids around the DC area, and the youth baseball camps for the Washington Nationals, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox. McKenna, who interned at the company for two summers in college, knows the people very well and is excited to work with them in the future.

“It’s an opportunity that I have as a 25 year old that isn’t going to be around,” McKenna said. “So when I was talking to other faculty, to my parents or to friends about this, the general gist of the recommendation, the advice, and what I was feeling personally was if you have a chance now, jump at it and see what happens.”

However, McKenna makes it clear that his decision wasn’t an easy one. When asked about his most meaningful experiences at Masters, he always points towards his interactions with students, both in and out of school, and how they create a gratifying experience.

“I think that having the opportunity to interact with students in the classroom, on sports fields, and in the dorm this past year has been one of the more rewarding things for me,” McKenna said. “Just being able to interact and being there for students in all those different capacities and in those different realms have meant a lot to me and significant for me.”

Even as a teacher, McKenna managed to learn a thing or two as well. After asked to talk about himself, he said his time at Masters helped him realize some of those aspects.

“At my time at Masters, I’ve come to know myself a lot better than I did before. And a lot of that comes through the relationships I built with both other faculty and students. I come to some important realizations about myself and I think this has really been personally significant. I appreciate having the time to reach those realizations.

He concluded the interview with the one thing he’ll miss at Masters.

“The one thing I’m going to miss most at Masters is definitely the people,” McKenna concluded. “And this comes down to faculty, staff that I’ve interacted with, and a large part is going to come down to students as well. Interacting with Masters students for the last two years ever day, in any capacity, is always been the best part of my day.”