Danica Rosenbloom '24 Writes about MBS Faculty Pursuing Teaching as a Second Profession

For her Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program (ICP) final project, senior Danica Rosenbloom ’24 wrote an article about three MBS faculty members – Dr. Marina Milinkovic, Ricky Kamil, and Matt Martino — who switched to careers in teaching after pursuing professions in the pharmaceutical industry, international banking, and architecture.

In her ICP work, Danica has been studying teacher attrition and recent challenges in contemporary education. While many teachers are choosing to leave the profession within the first five years, Danica chose to write about three MBS teachers who have turned the trend upside down — entering the field of education after serving in various professional fields.

You may read her article below:

Teacher attrition has become a pressing issue within the educational landscape. Characterized by a notable departure of experienced educators amidst a backdrop of demographic shifts, policy evolution, and societal changes, statistical data underscores a concerning trend: the majority of teachers are now leaving the profession within five years of graduation. At Morristown Beard School, however, we have a significant number of teachers who have gone in the opposite direction, choosing to enter the teaching profession after a career in very different fields. A description of their journeys is below: 

Prior to teaching, Dr. Marina Milinkovic worked as a Principal Scientist for Novartis Pharmaceutical Company, focusing on targeted cancer therapies; she also worked as a Medical Director for Sanofi Aventis Pharma Company, overseeing clinical trials for diabetes treatments. Dr. Milinkovic's career switch to teaching stemmed from a desire for a better work-life balance and for more time to spend with family. While working in education, Dr. Milinkovic has found that many of her past skills were transferable to the classroom. Drawing from her research experience, she can help students not only understand what's important in classroom knowledge but also practical insights into research methodologies and effective communication, enriching the learning experience for her students. In addition, she states “As a medical doctor, I learned the importance of empathy, patience, and clear communication when interacting with patients. These skills translate well into the classroom, where understanding students’ individual needs and effectively conveying complex ideas are crucial”. Dr. Milinkovic is ultimately extremely satisfied with her decision to switch to teaching and is very happy to be working at a school like Morristown Beard. 

Born in Egypt, Mr. Ricky Kamil wasn't always a teacher. Originally working as an international banker, Mr. Kamil finds that his past experiences have positively influenced his way of thinking both in and out of the classroom. Working for twenty years with industry giants like JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank, Mr. Kamil collaborated with government agencies, central banks, and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank. While living abroad in Belgium for six years he embraced diverse cultures through his numerous global interactions as he covered institutional investors in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The events of 9/11 prompted him to embark on a career in education because, after having long discussions with his sister, he “realized that teaching and coaching were steeped into [him} from a young age via both parents who were educators.” He reflects that “in banking my greatest satisfaction was in consultative selling, which involves teaching, training and developing relations with clients.” At MBS he quickly realized that his background, international business and cross-cultural experience could inspire students in the same way that “my parents and my high school teachers influenced my life.” Mr. Kamil currently teaches eleventh-grade history, economics, Middle East history, and Arabic language and culture while also advising the BFI (Business, Finance, and Investment) Club. Among the many things he enjoys is the ability to work with BFI club members, invite outside speakers to campus, and organize field trips each year to museums and Wall Street firms for his students. Mr. Kamil is highly pleased with his career change and enjoys teaching the next generation of bankers, historians, and enlightened, morally responsible citizens of the world.

With twelve years of work in architecture, particularly in educational spaces, Mr. Matt Martino has brought a wealth of real-world experience to the classroom here at Morristown Beard School. His decision to transition into teaching was driven by a desire for a more balanced schedule and a longing to give back to the community in a meaningful way. He found that teaching not only fulfilled this aspiration but also allowed him to make a more profound impact than his previous architectural career. Currently teaching numerous courses on architecture, Mr. Martino is also an advisor for the Arts and Innovation section of the Interdisciplinary Concentration Program at Morristown Beard. Mr. Martino finds that his past working experiences outside of the classroom have helped him in the classroom. In particular, he finds that the visual communication skills he honed in the architectural field now help him effectively convey complex concepts to his students. Ultimately Mr. Martino highly enjoys being in the classroom as he hopes to “inspire young balanced and intelligent designers”.