Sumant Bhat ’03

Like so many Williams students, Sumant Bhat went into the fall of his senior year thinking he would pursue a career in consulting or finance after graduation. An economics and psychology double major, it made plenty of sense; Sumant’s plans changed entirely, though, when he took a class on the psychology of education.

“As part of the class, I had the opportunity to do a practicum in a school, so I went to Williamstown Elementary and was placed in a sixth grade classroom,” he said. “Pretty quickly, I fell in love.”

Sumant said he soon discovered a genuine passion for working with children and couldn’t get enough of the teaching environment. “I think I was supposed to go in for just a few hours a week, but I would do 14 or 15 hours, maybe more than that, just to spend a lot of time there,” he said. “I just loved being around kids, and so I decided my senior spring that I needed to explore it more.”

He spent the summer after graduation teaching math to 9th-12th graders and then landed a one-year position at Princeton Day School, where he taught middle school math and coached high school basketball. Sumant said those experiences allowed him to confirm his interest in teaching, especially at the middle school level.

His next position, at the Meadowbrook School in Weston, Mass., proved formative in many ways, as he explored a variety of roles that took him outside of the classroom and into administrative roles. “I was around great school leaders, which helped me catch the bug for wanting to be a leader myself,” he said. “I did everything from department work, to leading international trips, to coaching, to all kinds of things around student life, curriculum, and diversity and inclusion.”

After six years at Meadowbrook, Sumant decided to return to the classroom, this time as a student; he got a Master’s in private school leadership from the Teachers College at Columbia University, then relocated to Colorado, where he’s lived since. Building on what he learned in graduate school, Sumant has held several administrative roles at independent schools in the area.

In July of next year, he will start a new job as head of school at Stanley British Primary School in Denver, a role that he says will allow him to take his passion for education further than ever. “At the end of the day, I’m in education because I really, really love kids,” he said. “That’s what gets me up in the morning. I love working for kids. I love designing for kids, and being able to have an impact on more kids is part of the reason I’m excited about being head of school.”

On whether he’ll return one day to classroom teaching, Sumant said he is hoping to spend a long time in a leadership role, but doesn’t know what direction he’ll go after that. “I can’t imagine myself not working with kids in some capacity,” he said. “That’s just the best part of my day.”

Sumant said he would strongly recommend a career in education to current Williams students who, like him, have found that they enjoy working with children. “If you value relationships, teaching is all about relationships,” he said. “It’s hard work, but it’s really rewarding, every single day. I think people are always looking for purpose in what they do, and you have great purpose when you’re in education working with kids.“

When it comes to current students who are unsure of how to get their feet wet in education, Sumant said the first step is to pick up some experience in the classroom, though conversations with alumni can also be a precious resource. “Volunteer to teach somewhere,” he said. “Meanwhile, reach out to alumni who are in education in a variety of different fields. They don’t have to be teachers; they can be in policy. It is unbelievable how many Williams alumni are in teaching or education, so don’t be bashful about reaching out.”

Sumant stressed the vitality of areas of education that are located outside of the classroom setting, such as the kinds of administrative work he has pursued since graduate school. “Education is at a really exciting time right now,” he said. “We need great leaders; we need people who are excited about driving the future of education.”

On that note, Sumant pointed out that numerous alumni are already leaders in education all over the country, setting the stage for a new generation to enter the field. “There are tons of Williams alumni in positions like mine that are hiring, and we’re always excited to see more Williams people in the pipeline because we know that they understand the importance of a student-teacher relationship and will seek that out,” he said. “I am so happy to help anyone who’s interested in teaching. The world today needs more great teachers.”

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By Nigel Jaffe