The Mercury was given the opportunity to sit and talk with Benjamin Stoll (‘18), the newest edition to BFA’s English Department. Stoll grew up in Vermont and attended BFA before going to college in Maine to receive a Bachelors in Education and a minor in Creative Writing. He lives in Burlington with his girlfriend.
Stoll had known that he wanted to go into education ever since he was a freshman in high school. He told The Mercury, “I always had an interest in learning and sharing what I was passionate about, and I’m passionate about reading and writing.”
Stoll’s alumni status and “prior connections with the teachers” made applying to BFA a no-brainer. He is grateful to have kept in contact with his high school English teachers who he now works alongside and is able to lean on for support.
“I thought BFA would be a good fit for me because I was already familiar with the community and I just kind of missed St. Albans,” Stoll said. “I missed where I grew up. It was nice to come back home.”
Before working at BFA, Stoll worked in South Burlington as a paraeducator. Stoll said, “I’ve been in school settings for a while now, but this is my first classroom teaching position. Naturally, I’m gonna have a little bit of the jitters.”
Stoll teaches American Literature and Journalism at BFA. According to Stoll, it was a change from when he went to high school here, as American Literature was known as “Foundations Literature.”
“It was definitely interesting being told to focus on American Literature,” Stoll said. He added, “It was nice to be able to explore different authors and different pieces of work from America specifically.”
Here at BFA, Stoll was able to make his aspirations in education come to life.
“My classes are wonderful. It’s great to make connections with my students,” Stoll said.
