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For some things, only a sister will do. So when it came time to earn a master's degree, the Castrigano trio of Natalie, Noelle and Nicole looked to each other. And to Baldwin Wallace.
The
trio
had
already
earned
their
undergraduate
degrees
from
BW.
The
same
degree
for
all
three
-
middle
school
education.
But
the
similarities
don't
stop
there.
Neither
do
the
bonds
of
sisterly
love,
friendship
and
teaching.
For 24-year-old Natalie, it was a no-brainer to attend BW as an undergraduate student. Her sisters Nicole Castrigano, age 32, and Noelle Castrigano Chance, age 31, both graduated from BW in 2010 with identical degrees - a Bachelor of Science in education and Bachelor of Arts in English.
"My sisters had a wonderful BW experience," emphasized Natalie. "My sister Noelle graduated high school a year early. They both had the desire to teach and wanted to go on the journey together. I followed in their footsteps in 2014 and graduated three years later, though I omitted English as a second major," she admitted with a smile.
"We
decided
to
pursue
our
MAEd
together,"
Natalie
explained.
"We
all
loved
our
quality
of
education
we
received
through
our
undergraduate
BW
experiences.
And,
after
researching
other
master
of
educational
technology
programs,
we
knew
nothing
could
compare
to
the
one
at
BW.
We
are
all
YJ4Ls
and
knew
we
wanted
to
return
home!
"You can tell BW faculty really care about their students," she said. "This is one of the many reasons we chose BW for our graduate program. Plus, the technology tools we learned in our coursework were very beneficial. We would learn about a technology tool one week and implement it in our own classrooms right away.
"The three of us all took our MAEd classes while being full-time teachers," she went on to say. "This year, with online and hybrid school environments, we are able to utilize all of the technology skills we learned at BW."
And if earning the same undergraduate and master's degrees weren't enough similarity to raise one's eyebrows in a surprising way, then surely the last piece of this teaching trifecta is bound to nudge a smile.
It just so happens all three sisters work for North Ridgeville City Schools. Natalie is an eighth-grade STEM teacher at Ranger High-Tech Academy. Noelle is a fifth-grade English language arts/social studies teacher at North Ridgeville Academic Center, and Nicole also works at North Ridgeville Academic Center as a sixth-grade math/science teacher.
"It's been an amazing journey to have been able to complete my MAEd with my sisters at BW," said Natalie. "We graduated together with the same degree - MAEd in leadership in technology for teaching and learning - on Dec. 12. We watched the virtual ceremony together with our parents and significant others. It was a proud moment for all of us.
"It's obvious that we are very close," she said sincerely. "Our shared family, education and teaching experiences have really bonded us. I couldn't have imagined doing this any other way."
