MWCC Associate Professor of English and Speech Provides
a Lesson in Chasing Your Passions
By Elysian Alder | Assistant Editor
Associate Professor of English and Speech Kara Roche has been working at the Mount since 2007, and although English and teaching are two of her greatest passions, it’s the people – the community – that fill her with so much love for the college. Reflecting back on the journey she’s had to get to this point, Roche said, “Now I get to teach my two loves here: English classes filled with poetry and Shakespeare and speech classes. How lucky am I? My road taken turned out pretty well.”
After high school, Roche initially pursued her undergraduate degree in speech communications from Northeastern University. The onset of her path to higher education is one that may sound familiar to some. “I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do when it was time to go off to college,” she said. “I just knew I wanted to shed my high school skin and read and learn and meet engaging people to challenge me, close enough to home to visit.”
Roche confessed that it was love at first sight when it came to Northeastern, despite not having her precise trajectory mapped out right away. “The good news is that I LOVED college and really found myself there,” she enthused. “I loved philosophy, and it was actually a particular philosophy class (not English) that introduced me to E.E. Cummings and “Since Feeling Is First…” and pea-soup-crossed-legged nights where I fell in love with debating and reading and writing poetry myself with professors and classmates alike.” In addition to her extracurricular activities, hobbies, passions, and studies, Roche also had her own late-late-night radio show, making full use of her speech communications undergraduate degree and its concentration in radio and TV before deciding that another degree was calling her name. She went on to pursue English with a Secondary Education Certificate at Fitchburg State University, recalling the words of a high school English teacher and citing them as part of the reasoning behind her choice: “She said: ‘When you grow up and get your English degree, you can teach the way you want.’” And that is exactly what happened. Roche taught for 13 years at two high schools— Oakmont Regional High School and Nashoba Regional High School— wherein she created and helped implement a speech and debate curriculum. However, after having her two children, Roche began her career at the Mount in a part-time position working in the Visions program, as an adjunct professor and an advisor until September of 2012, when her position became a full-time gig, leading to where she is today.
As for what has made her time at the Mount most fulfilling and enjoyable, Roche says it’s simple: the people. “Not only my colleagues, but my students. The way everyone really cares,” she said. “How it’s not just a job. It’s a community.”
And although she’s exceedingly well-versed in the art of speechcraft, enjoys Button Poets , and has a particular love of spectating spoken verse poetry slams, Roche takes any chance she can get to continue to gush about her students. When asked about public speakers that she finds inspiring, she said, “My students are my favorite speakers and forever surprise me.” While familiar names such as Maya Angelou, Amanda Gorman, and Rudy Francisco also make the list, nothing tops her enthusiasm for her students. “I get to know my students so well in speech classes. They become vulnerable and honest and sincere. They grow like crazy. They are overwhelmingly kind. But beyond all that, they have REAL things to say. They have voices they might have been afraid to use. I get to listen. And I’ve had students make me cry, laugh out loud, challenge my point of view, and CHANGE me.”
These days, Roche has added yoga to her list of passions, which include supporting her children’s hobbies (her son’s sports and her daughter’s singing), traveling with her husband and family, and living it up to the fullest in the summertime. She still enjoys reading and writing, of course, and considers herself a lifelong learner— to the point that she participates in trivia nights. “Bet you didn’t know that it used to be forbidden for couples to kiss at train stations?” she imparted. “Yup. You’re welcome.”
A recent undertaking has her learning more about Massachusetts poets for a new virtual course. On the subject, she said, “I traveled the whole state and vlogged about several different poets, read their poetry, met locals who knew their poetry, and visited their gravesites and childhood homes, from P-Town to Great Barrington. I can’t believe how many treasures were hiding in a state I’ve been in my whole life, never mind the treasure of poets.” Kara Roche has inarguably had quite the journey to get where she is today. When asked if she’d give her past self any advice, none of it is academic— which comes as no surprise after hearing her enthusiasm for learning. Instead, she said, “Don’t be afraid to do those things you were too afraid to do. Try out for Lady Macbeth. Do every audition. Read your poetry aloud. Kiss that boy under the stars. Stay up late with your friends and catch snowflakes on your tongue. Jump into the Boston Common Frog Pond with your sneakers still on in summer. Raise your hand more in class. Don’t rush it. Live every moment, even the ones that ended in heartbreak. It goes too fast. And regret lasts too long.”
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