Great Starts: Megan Salentine ’26

Megan Salentine ’26 

Elementary education major
Second grade teacher at St. Maria Goretti Catholic School in Madison, Wis.

What experiences at SNC most directly helped you land this opportunity?

All of my field experiences throughout my time in the education department, from sophomore block all the way to my student teaching. I got to try new things in each classroom and learn the ins and outs of what makes a classroom run smoothly. The opportunity to get to serve the Parish community as a second grade catechist helped me fall in love with second grade and share the faith with students that are making two very important sacraments throughout the year. I learned just how important it is to teach the sacraments but also walk with the children and their families along this faith journey.

What would you tell a current student considering this same path? 

I would encourage students thinking about this same path to go for it! Many people say that you can just tell when a person was put on this earth to teach (something that has been described to me about myself many times). This is a huge compliment and a beautiful attribute to encouraging someone to follow their vocation. Teachers have an incredible opportunity to change lives and encourage their students. Although it is an exhausting career, it is also one of the most fulfilling that God gave our world. 

What are you most excited about as you take this next step? 

I’m most excited to get my very own group of kids in my very own classroom. I grew up teaching my stuffed animals almost every day after school and I’m so incredibly excited to be so close to a dream. I’m so excited to get to lead more children to Jesus as a second grade teacher who gets to walk with her students toward receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time. 

If a high school student is considering St. Norbert, what would you tell them? 

I would ask them if they wanted to feel like a number or like a person. Because at SNC, I’ve always felt like a person. I found an incredible circle of people and loved every second of my journey at SNC. I was nurtured and taught by college professors who knew my name and cared about me deeply as a student. College is such a formative time in someone’s life and it’s so important to choose a college that is going to always support you and foster a community that can grow and love. I would also tell them that it is actually so much fun to go to SNC.