The day she moved onto the Mount Saint Mary College campus as a freshman in 2022, Dana Donnelly of Yulan, N.Y. said she was “looking forward to a quality education.”
Four years later – as she prepares for graduation – that’s exactly what she got, she says.
On that late summer day four years ago, as she was unpacking in her new room in Sakac Hall, Donnelly said, “I like the tight-knit community here.” She was looking forward to a career in teaching and playing on the Mount’s softball team.
Her commitment to education never wavered, and her growth from a freshman to a decorated student-athlete has defined her time at the Mount.
Donnelly, an Adolescent Education major focusing on History and Special Education, credits several of her professors for helping to mold her into the person she is today.
“The professors here, they’re so helpful and they want you to succeed,” she explained. She called David Gallagher, associate professor and Chair of the Division of Education, an “amazing professor.”
Donnelly found particular value in Gallagher's course on managing behaviors: “A big thing in a classroom is how to manage student behavior, because everyone’s behavior is different. And you’ve got to take into account how to manage each student, some with special considerations. I learned how to do that from Dr. Gallagher.”
In addition, Cecilia Dos Santos, instructor of Education, provided a literacy-focused curriculum that would become a cornerstone of Donnelly’s teaching toolkit.
“I got to read a lot of different articles with her,” Donnelly explained. “Those articles just applied to so much of what I do in the classroom.”
Donnelly took those classroom lessons into the field through two diverse student-teaching placements: seventh grade History at Newburgh Free Academy Heritage and a ninth through twelfth grade Special Education placement at Cornwall Central High School. She was immersed in the full spectrum of secondary education, teaching Regents-level courses in Government, U.S. History, and Global History, and handled classroom sizes of nearly 30 students.
Student-teaching “sets you up for your future, because it’s basically like a job interview,” she explained. “I loved both my student-teaching experiences. I felt right at home [and] extremely prepared when I apply for jobs.”
The softball field served as Donnelly’s second home on campus, providing a support system that began even before her first day of classes.
“The night before college, I remember crying in my bed,” Donnelly recalled. “I was so scared to leave home.”
But that fear vanished when she received texts from several members of her softball team, inviting her to meet up her very first night on campus: “Just coming in, scared freshman, 18 years old, I automatically got 20 sisters right off the bat,” she said.
For the next four years, Donnelly balanced softball with academics, even the semester she was student-teaching. But beyond the discipline she learned, the team made time for joy, including bonding activities between games.
Now as she prepares to graduate Cum Laude, Donnelly serves as a mentor for younger players, helping them navigate the same Education major requirements she once tackled.
“The Mount is the tightest-knit community and you’re going to have so many opportunities here that are just going to make you a better person, a better teacher, a better athlete,” Donnelly said.
After graduation, Donnelly plans to return to her hometown to begin her teaching career, bringing the expertise she cultivated over the last four years back to her local school district.