Meet the 2025 Teacher Fellows

The Life Guard Teacher Fellowship Program supports the creation of classroom materials and teacher resources about the life, legacy, and leadership of George Washington.

There were two different fellowships in the summer of 2025. The first fellowship focused on the Leadership and Legacy of George Washington, and the second fellowship focused on the Economy during George Washington's time. Both fellowships used primary sources at Mount Vernon and successfully completed infographics and scaffolded activity sheets for students and teachers to utilize in the classroom.

Katy Forsythe

Katy Forsythe has taught secondary social studies for 6 years. She spent five years at Norwalk Middle School teaching 8th-grade American History and now teaches American Government and Western Civilization at Dallas Center-Grimes High School. She earned her B.S. in Secondary Education from Drake University and is pursuing a M.A. in American History and Government through Ashland University. Katy began her Master's degree with the support of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation after being selected as the 2023 Fellow from the state of Iowa. Katy enjoys growing her students' understandings of themselves and the world through social studies.

Katy completed her fellowship in 2025 under the Leadership and Legacy of George Washington Fellowship. Her projects, created alongside Beth Young.

Elizabeth Young

For over 2 decades as a public middle school teacher in Hawaiʻi, Elizabeth (Beth) Young has found joy and inspiration in guiding and supporting adolescents.  After graduating with a B.A. in History from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, she relocated to complete an M.F.A. in Theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa.  In the first few years of her professional life, she worked at Honolulu Theater for Youth, presenting educational and entertaining plays to student audiences.  There, Beth discovered her passion for teaching and returned to UH-Mānoa to earn a Secondary Education Teaching Certificate. She inspires her students to demystify the past with imaginative interpretations of academic content.  Leveraging her theatre background experience, she also coaches students to develop and practice effective collaboration and communication skills as they explore new ideas in project-based learning teams.

Beth completed her fellowship in 2025 under the Leadership and Legacy Fellowship. Her projects were created alongside Katy Forsythe. 

Emma Cleland

Emma Cleland holds a B.A. in Teacher Education and an M.A. in Leadership and Learning from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. She began her teaching career in Poway, California, and now teaches for Everett Public Schools in her home state of Washington. With experience teaching grades two through five, Emma is currently pursuing National Board Certification. In her seven years of experience in education, Emma has served on a curriculum adoption team, implemented new teaching practices in math, hosted a classroom for teacher professional development, piloted various educational technology tools, and contributed to site-based leadership teams. She is passionate about student-led inquiry, fostering critical thinking skills, and developing civically engaged learners. 

Emma completed her fellowship in 2025 under the Economy and George Washington Fellowship—her projects were created alongside Christina Stetler-Rodriguez.

Christina Stetler-Rodriguez

Christina Stetler-Rodriguez is an English Instructor at the Carver Center for Arts and Technology and an adjunct professor at the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland. She holds an Advanced Professional Certificate in Secondary English from the State of Maryland, along with an international TESOL certification. A National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts for adolescents and young adults, Christina has served as a curriculum writer. She provides mentorship and professional development to educators throughout her district. Christina lives in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, with her three sons and two dogs. She is actively involved in the choral arts community in both Maryland and Pennsylvania, and recently served as chorus president and an executive board member of the York Symphony Orchestra  A member of the Colonel James Smith/Yorktowne Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, she believes that the spirit of the revolution endures through the cultivation of critical thinkers and wise leaders for the good and future of the Republic.  

Christina completed her fellowship in 2025  under the Economy and George Washington Fellowship. Her projects were created alongside Emma Cleland.