Another in a continuing series of Q & A interviews with Trinity faculty, staff and administrators.

“You need to pursue your passion, not your career.” Wise words from Trinity English teacher Mr. Mitch Greenwell. There is immense pressure after high school to decide what you want and what you want to do. Fortunately for Mr. Greenwell, he found a career he loves. He discussed his journey back to his alma mater.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: I went to Bellarmine, graduated in 2009, and got my master’s from there in 2012.

Q: What were your majors?

A: I have a literacy specialist degree from Bellarmine. I majored in English, not education. One of the reasons I went to Bellarmine was so that I could major in English.

Q: Did you take part in any extracurricular activities or clubs at Bellarmine?

A: I did intramural volleyball, intramural basketball, I was a member of an educational fraternity, I was an actor.  I was in a couple plays at Bellarmine. It made me wish I had done acting at Trinity because it was fun.

Q: What made you choose English as a career?

A: My senior year I knew I wanted to teach. My goal in college was to come back to Trinity because I had such a great experience here. I’ve always loved reading. It just seemed like a natural fit to do something that I liked.

Q: Did you ever consider becoming an author rather than an English teacher?

A: Not really, I always liked reading more than writing. I was always more drawn to the literature part. I never thought I could make a living (as a writer). 

Q: You said you enjoyed your time at Trinity. Were you in any extracurricular activities or clubs?

A: I did a lot of things. I ran cross country, I ran track, I did intramural basketball, intramural bowling, intramural Ping Pong, intramural volleyball. The House system was instated my first year here, and I was in Toussaint, so it was interesting seeing my freshman class grow up with it. I also did French Scrabble, Environmental Club, among others.

Q: If you weren’t an English teacher, what would be your second career choice?

A: I genuinely don’t know. Realistically, at this point in my career I’ve been teaching for 11 years. It’s hard for me to think of transitioning to something else.

Q: If you weren’t teaching English, is there another subject you would want to teach?

A: I would probably teach history, which is funny because it was always one of my weakest subjects. I never appreciated the class. I just thought it was memorization.

Q: As a kid, did you have a career choice?

A: As a kid, I didn’t want to be a teacher; I wanted to be a scientist.