Debbie Schooler: Making An Impact

by Chuck Cascio

Debbie Schooler

One particularly significant statement Professor Debbie Schooler makes as she reflects on her own academic background casts significant light on her career path: "I was always jumping from one curiosity to the next."

Is it any wonder then that her affection for curiosity led her from "walking down the path behind our house in Reston to see the beavers swimming around" to "hanging around South Lakes after school, whether for band or rehearsals for the school musical" and eventually to her current role as a psychology professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.?

A 1995 graduate of South Lakes High School, who also went to elementary and middle schools in Reston, Debbie credits many faculty members for instilling in her a love of learning. "I had amazing teachers at all levels who emphasized critical thinking and creativity," she says. "I remember having spirited debates in class, sometimes testing the limits of my teachers’ patience. It sparked in me a love of learning, and I basically never left school."

When Debbie says she "never left school," she means it literally. She graduated from Brown University in 1999 with a degree in psychology and then went on to earn her doctorate in psychology at the University of Michigan. At first, Debbie had planned to teach elementary education but then, "I really liked the classes in child psychology and the research we were learning, so I decided to get my PhD."

After achieving that goal, Debbie's journey in education continued. "At Michigan, I was lucky to have some amazing mentors," she says. "I started studying the role of media and culture in identity development," which led to teaching at San Francisco State University as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Sexuality Studies followed by four years as an assistant professor of psychology at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. When a position at Gallaudet University in D.C. became available in 2011, Debbie saw a unique opportunity that she has found extremely fulfilling.

“I felt so fortunate to be welcomed into Gallaudet’s community and learn from my deaf and hard of hearing students and colleagues," Debbie says. "My students were so patient with me as I learned American Sign Language [ASL], and I’m so grateful for that. Teaching in my second language has made me a better teacher. I have more empathy for students who are learning in their second language. You really have to know what you are teaching well in order to translate it into another language."

Debbie acknowledges that “threats to academic freedoms” today are increasing the challenges higher education faces. The impact of those threats has reinforced Debbie's commitment to her profession, especially to liberal arts programs. "A lot of people view college as a pathway to career success, and it can certainly be important for that," she says. "But at its roots, a liberal arts education is about teaching students skills needed to be free members of society, to think critically, to hone our values, to build on the work of those who’ve come before us, and to create new knowledge that we can use to solve today’s problems."

Given those objectives, Debbie is highly motivated by the unique challenges of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community: "There has not been enough research conducted about deaf and hard of hearing people, so I work to continue training students to help expand their knowledge base with research that is meaningful to them. My goal is to continue to expand the access DHH students have to those kinds of learning opportunities."

For Professor Debbie Schooler, how to make an impact and the rewards for doing so boil down to this: "I love seeing the transformations that happen as students start questioning assumptions they’ve held and start learning how to find answers to their own questions. I get to keep learning every day on the job, and that is one of my favorite things to do."