Co-Founder / Academic Navigator
Like our students, Betsye’s pathway through academia has been… tangled. Oft viewed as a series of failed events, beginning with skipping high school classes to smoke under the bridge, reading Sweet Valley High books instead of studying for the SATS, dropping out of college 5 times, trying to complete a PhD at Cornell before both her kids graduate from college, to trying to write this tortured bio. Though she detests writing, she still managed to earn Masters in Literature and History and her love of books translated into a love of teaching and passion for education. She first began as a community college instructor in English and History many, many years ago and eventually found her way to the Cornell Prison Education Program as a volunteer English instructor (2017), staff coordinator (2018), and finally an associate director (2021). Whether teaching speculative fiction in the classroom or advising returning students on the outside, she works to find ways to be relatable and relevant in order to make learning accessible, where students define what their success looks like in that moment. Though a complete social introvert with terrible taste in books and music, she believes in creating a culture of community and a holistic network of support to empower students.