From the East graduating class of 2020, Megan Biondi found her way back to East. However, Biondi is not returning as a visitor, but rather East High Schools new English teacher.
Biondi is big on family, constantly surrounding herself with the people she loves the most. Biondi has four siblings, with two older sisters and two younger brothers, she is stuck in the middle. Both of her older sisters are East graduates, one is even currently a teacher at Hoyt Middle School. As for her younger brothers, one is an East graduate, meanwhile the other is still currently attending East, but will soon graduate later on in the school year. Although her mom and dad didn’t graduate from East, her aunt and grandma did. East is a constant memory that runs throughout the generations.
Biondi has had many people to look up to over her years but in the end, she will forever look up to her mom.
“My mom is my biggest inspiration, my mom has worked hard her whole life, I think I get my work ethic from her. She’s been a mail lady since the age of 18, she got her career started early, kind of like how I’m getting my career started early. She’s just truly inspiring to me,” Biondi said.
Biondi attended and graduated from the University of Iowa, although she changed her major numerous times, she ended up pursuing her education in teaching. Graduating a semester early in the Fall of 2023, she left with two bachelor’s degrees, in English and in secondary English education. She also got dual credits from DMACC while she was a student at East, around 48 credits total. But Teaching was not always her first choice she flipped back in forth from career choices.
“When I graduated high school, I was fully convinced I would go into medical sciences, I got accepted in to University of Iowa as a biology major and I love biology, biology is one of my favorite subjects, English is also my favorite subject. But I will say I have struggled in English before, biology was always an easier subject to me, but even though I struggled with English, it’s a struggle that I enjoy.
During her times at East she genuinely liked school.
“I love the community here at East High School, even though the school is so big and had no idea who half of the people’s names I graduated with. I more than anywhere else in my life, like this is the biggest sense of community I’ve ever had. It’s just the feeling you get. Eastside pride is real, its stronger the further away you are from here,” Biondi said.
There has been small, to big changes since Biondi has been a student at East High School.
“The phone policy, I will say it’s for the better because I as a 2016 freshman to a 2020 senior, I’m not going to lie I was on my phone sometimes when I shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t until I got to college where I had to learn the hard way. You have to put your phone away, or you’re going to miss important stuff. I’ve been really emphasizing that with my freshman, do it now, start now. The policy is put in place not to be meanies, or control freaks, the adults in this building truly care about students education,” Biondi said.
Biondi also expressed her love for the new murals that are spread throughout East. How they build a sense of community and shows how talented the students at east really are. As she’s excited to see more pop up.
It all started as sibling rivalry, her older sister went to college to become a teacher, so Biondi backed off the idea of becoming a teacher even though it had always been a thought since fifth grade.
“Teaching’s a calling, and I think it was always there in the back of my mind. I wouldn’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but I will say I’ve never, not even once, ever since I’ve began teaching regretted choosing to be a teacher,” Biondi said.
As Biondi has just recently become a teacher at East, most would think it would be overwhelming, but as for Biondi, It has been the opposite.
“It’s been so fun but so weird, not only do I the people know me, but even the teacher. I’ve had my best friend’s nieces in my class, people whose little siblings that are in my class, and old teachers obviously, talking to them is weird, those teachers went from having authority over me to now being my colleague. Also, my sister since she teaches at Hoyt, and Hoyt feeds into east so I’ve had a lot of kids come up to me and say, ‘you remind me of my middle school teacher” Biondi said.