Meet Lizette Ortega Dolan

Lizette Ortega Dolan

By Zoey Patterson

Lizette Dolan is a new Humanities teacher at Athenian, but it’s not her first time working here.

“I was hired as Dean of Equity and Inclusion back in 2006, and I…did a lot of explicit training on equity and inclusion,” Dolan said. “I had just developed an Ethnic Studies course at the school where I was teaching before I came to Athenian, so I was really excited to bring that knowledge and that energy and passion to a different school.”

Dolan explained that part of what attracted her to Athenian was the emphasis it places on equity and inclusion.

“I…really believed that there was an authentic desire to improve the learning environment for marginalized groups,” Dolan said.

Athenian’s community is also something Dolan is glad to return to.

“I’ve been working independently for about three years as a consultant, and so I’m excited to now kind of be a part of a team again,” Dolan said.

Dolan is even more excited for when Athenian can return to normal in-person classes.

“That’s one of my favorite places to be…in the classroom with students,” Dolan said.

However, classes aren’t the only thing Dolan misses from before COVID–19.

“I certainly see myself as the hostess with the mostest,” Dolan said. “I love having people here. I love, like, setting the table and deciding on what I’m gonna serve and making little name cards…I love hosting, so that’s what I miss the most.”

Dolan’s own ideal meal, however, is less common for hosting.

“It’d be French toast with sausage, scrambled eggs, sourdough bread, sour cream on the side, and fake maple syrup,” Dolan said.

But that would not be the only component of Dolan’s ideal start to a day.

“I would love it if it was a normal thing for every day to start like a musical,” Dolan said. “Like, if I could wake up and be like ‘ONE DAY MORE’...like, everyday, where that is just, like, normal, I’d love that. I think it’d be great.”

Musical theater is not, in fact, Dolan’s main passion, especially in the realm of school.

“I absolutely love, love, love history,” Dolan said. “And…studying history and the humanities is everything, everything’s connected to it, it’s all about, literally, humanity.”

To explain this, Dolan paraphrased the words of a more famous humanities expert.

“There’s this great quote that I like by Paulo Freire that says, ‘It’s about learning how to not simply read the word, but read the world,’ and I feel like, as a humanities teacher, that’s what I’m supporting students in doing.”