Beth Dewhurst has been serving Washington, D.C., students since moving to the city in 1992. After growing up in rural Pennsylvania, she became the first in her family to graduate college. Now with an M.A. in teaching from George Mason University, she is in her 10th year at Stuart-Hobson Middle School, where she teaches reading to seventh- and eighth-graders. She also spends her days engaging with families and writing grants to ensure students have opportunities to connect their reading to the arts and sciences—and especially to future college and career paths. Beth has taught at a Title I school in Virginia and directed educational nonprofit services for D.C. students and adults. She’s working on a doctorate of education with a technology specialization. She lives in D.C. with her husband, Tom, and they have three children.