Cozy bean bags pile up on the floor, and motivational posters fill the classroom walls. Who could this room belong to? A learning strategist, or perhaps a learning lab teacher? Turns out, this stranger’s the new doctor in the house: Dr. Cathy White. 

Why did you come to DIS?

I have been a university professor for a long time and enjoyed it, but I was ready for a career change. While exploring different options, I came across international education. A friend of mine had been teaching abroad for 20 years, so I asked her many questions. Teaching abroad had always been a dream of mine, and after talking to her, I decided to pursue it. Instead of focusing on specific locations, I looked for positions that I would personally enjoy. 

When I read the job description for DIS, it had everything I loved. I missed working with K-12 students and enjoyed working with teachers, so this opportunity excited me. I applied for the job and during the interview, I had a positive impression of the people I spoke with. I had a good feeling about the school, which is why I chose to come here.

Where are you from? 

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. It’s a really neat city because it’s right on the border of Canada. And there’s another Sault Ste Marie that’s in Canada, and I lived there too. So for five years, I lived in the Soo in Canada, and then I would cross the border every day to go to work in Michigan. 

Why did you choose to become a learning strategist? 

It’s the combination of all the stuff that I care about. I’m a professor of education so I really care about teaching. It’s something that I think is super important. I like the idea of helping every single person reach their maximum. Even when I was a university professor, if I had somebody who got an easy A, I would always push them a little bit harder, because I feel like everybody can be pushed to do a little bit more. A learning strategist gets to do that, so I really liked this position. I get to help other teachers do that too.

Where did you go to college?

I went to a few places, actually. My undergrad was at Lake Superior State University, where I ended up being a professor, which was really weird. And then my master’s degree and my education specialist were with Northern Michigan University, and then my doctorate was with Central Michigan University. 

What was your favorite subject? 

I really love science, except for chemistry. But I love all other sciences. Chemistry is cool. I just struggle with it. I still love science, though. Especially biology. I think that’s my absolute favorite. I also had a really good math teacher, and so even though I’m not naturally good at math, I kind of liked it, because he made me see it like a puzzle. Honestly, I think I liked everything. I liked English too, since I just enjoy learning and talking about English. But I think science was probably my favorite, and then English next, because I really like to read. 

What are some of your hobbies?

My biggest hobby would probably be backpacking. It’s my favorite thing to do. I like having everything I need on my back. I use a hammock instead of a tent, and my dog goes with me. I like to do car camping too, but without a car, I can’t really do that much here. I also like to read, and I’m a relatively new gamer. So I play with my PS5 and Switch. One hobby that I actually want to get into – that’s not a hobby yet, but I know I might have some time for – is drawing. It’s something that I used to like to do, and I kind of just stopped doing it. So I’m hoping to get back into that. 

If you were a fruit, what kind of fruit would you be? Why?

I think I’d be an orange. It has thick skin. I think to be a good teacher, you have to have a thick skin. I think that’s why not a lot gets to me. But I think that inside, I’m sometimes sweet, but sometimes a little bit sour. So I think, probably an orange. There are a lot of pieces to me as well–like orange peels.

Weirdest moment in Korea so far? 

I live at the Honors Tower, and I had just gone to the gym that’s in that building. So I was all sweaty and gross. And I still had my earbuds in and was jamming to Ice Ice Baby. It just came on as I was leaving. So I was kind of dancing and I’m waiting at the elevator and I really can’t dance well. I didn’t think anybody would be in there. So I was dancing myself into the elevator, and there’s this older man in the corner and he just kind of looks at me and like, he shrinks away. And then I was trying not to laugh to make it even worse. So that was my weirdest moment, but I think it was probably more weird for him. 

Strangest thing you’ve eaten here? 

I love Korean food. So far, everything I totally loved – like to the point where I don’t think I can ever move back to the States unless I live somewhere that has Korean food. But last night I ordered what I thought were just ordinary cherry tomatoes, and so I made this dish and put the tomatoes in it, but the tomatoes were sweet. They had sugar added somehow, and I was not expecting that. That was probably the weirdest thing because it’s just that it was not the flavor I was expecting, but that’s it. All the other foods I totally loved.

What’s a really fun fact about you that not a lot of people know about? 

This is a true story about a snake that attempted to eat me. It’s a strange experience that not many people can relate to. Unfortunately, nobody believed me when I told them about it. When I was four years old, my parents decided to build a cabin in the woods, so we were living in a tent while they worked on it. There’s a whole story behind that, but let’s focus on what happened next.

Every night, I would sleep in a sleeping bag and complain to my mom about bees stinging me. She would dismiss my concerns, saying that there were no bees in my sleeping bag and that I should go to sleep because it was nighttime. This went on for about a week until something unexpected occurred. One night, my parents accidentally picked up my sleeping bag with me still inside and took me somewhere else while I was asleep. 

After a little while, a snake crawled out of the sleeping bag, and someone killed it. We were near Lake State at the time, so they brought the snake to one of the professors there for identification. Surprisingly, the professor said that it was a water snake, and the most vicious non venomous snake in Michigan. So I never ever let my mom forget about this because she let a snake bite me night after night and didn’t believe me. So a snake tried to eat me. I don’t think many people can say that.

Why are you here right now? 

My brother would say it’s because I had a midlife crisis. I think that everything in my life has kind of led me to this point. Things just aligned together. I think I’m here in this country and in this school because I think this is the phase that my life is in right now. And then with my last son growing up and moving out, it’s given me an opportunity to kind of live out some of my dreams. I also do believe in fate and stuff like that. So I think things have kind of led me to this point in my life.

Funniest photo on your phone?

This one is a photo of my dog, and this is the second funniest photo on my phone. The first is a goofy picture of my kid, and he probably won’t let me share it, so here is a funny picture of my dog Jasmine chasing some cheese.

What is your favorite movie? Why?

I have a lot of favorite movies because I love movies. But the one movie that I can watch again and again is Speed. It’s like the perfect movie where there’s the perfect amount of action. It’s a little bit of romance but it’s not annoying and like some really good one liners. I think Speed is like one of the most perfect movies out there.

If there was a movie about yourself, who would you want to cast as the lead role? Why? 

Kristen Wigg. Because she’s one of my favorites. She’s funny. But she also can get some depth to her. And I think my life has had a lot of funny moments, but it’s had some hard things too. And I think that she’d be able to play both. And I think she’d make the funny stuff really funny.

What are your final words?

Never stop learning, and always have courage even when you’re scared.

With her dedication to teaching, her love for helping others reach their full potential, and a sense of humor that brightens up any room, Dr. White is sure to be a great addition to our school. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. However, this doctor’s here to stay. Welcome to DIS.