A warm welcome to our new faculty and staff!
We are excited to welcome five experienced educators and professionals to our Mayfield community.
Carol Fitzsimmons, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry and Theology Teacher
Carol Fitzsimmons, Mayfield’s new Assistant Director of Campus Ministry and Theology teacher, is a graduate of UCLA, with a Master’s in Religious Education from Loyola, New Orleans and an MFA from Mount Saint Mary's University in Los Angeles. Carol has taught in Catholic high schools in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Bellevue, Washington.
At Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Maryland, Carol worked with three Mayfield faculty and admin staff—Head of School Kate Morin, Director of Campus Ministry Teri Gonzales, and fellow theology teacher April Garcez. Surprised by the joyful opportunity to work with her former colleagues as part of the Mayfield community, this new role completes a full circle for Carol, who is an alumna of Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland. “I appreciate the meaning of Cornelia's ‘epiphany journey’ and the gift of grace, ever the North Star in my life,” she explained.
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Maryanne Householder, Theatre Teacher
Maryanne Householder, a forever Pasadena resident, graduated from Alverno Heights Academy and then moved on to the University of La Verne, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with departmental honors. Although her degree focused on stage management and scenic painting, Maryanne has been involved in many different aspects of theatre for more than 15 years, both on- and offstage.
In the fall of 2018, Maryanne figured out what she was meant to do with her life. Although she had worked as a guest artist on Mayfield productions since 2017, she tended to keep to herself and concentrate on her work. "Over time, the kindness, openness, and generosity of the Mayfield students proved life-changing," Maryanne said. “They inspire me to be a better individual and artist every day."
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Eduardo Magaña, Spanish Teacher
Eduardo Magaña moved to the U.S. in 2000 and has been teaching since. Back in El Salvador, he graduated from a Jesuit university with a B.A. in communications and journalism and worked as a TV reporter and newspaper proofreader. He also led a human rights radio program and served as a linguistic instructor at the University of Central America.
He has taught in three U.S. high schools—two all-girls and one all-boys—where he served as department chair and taught all levels of Spanish, as well as AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature. Eduardo has also served as an AP Reader for 10 years and, over the last two years, helped create Spanish curricula and assessments for Cristo Rey Schools. Meanwhile, he received his teaching credential and Master’s degree in Spanish Literature and Linguistics at Cal State Long Beach.
Lauren Marks ’98, Director of Communications
Mayfield alumna Lauren Marks ’98 is an NYU, Tisch School of the Arts graduate, who worked in professional theater for a decade and pursued a PhD at The Graduate Center at CUNY.
In 2007, a medical emergency changed the course of her life. An aneurysm ruptured in her brain, largely robbing her of the abilities to speak, read, and write. While working on a memoir about this experience, she received grants from several institutions, including the Bread Loaf Conference and Yaddo, and was an Emerging Voices Fellow for PEN America.
Her book, A Stitch of Time, was published in 2017 and gave Lauren opportunities to speak in dozens of artistic, medical, therapeutic, and academic settings, including as the commencement speaker for Mayfield’s Class of 2018. Lauren has been featured on national and international media including The Today Show, BBC’s Digital Human, The Washington Post, and the New York Post and has written for several publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Salon, and Nautilus Magazine.
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Stephanie Pham, English Teacher
Stephanie Pham’s first teaching experience came almost by surprise, as part of a summer service learning program while she was an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. She was placed in a summer school for middle-school girls in the Bronx, and was surprised to learn that she was to teach, not merely assist, all summer long. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Stephanie recalled. “Yet I went home every night and couldn’t stop thinking about what I could do to reach the girls a little more clearly. I loved every minute of it.”
Now in her eighth year of teaching, Stephanie’s love for the profession hasn’t changed. She especially values teaching writing. Stephanie is a firm believer that there is no such thing as a “bad writer,” and that writing, like every sport and artistic pursuit, requires practice. In the classroom, she works to create a culture that normalizes respectful discussions that begin in the text and make connections to the world at large.
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Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.
