Academic Support Coordinator Lily Lam recently began her first year on the Menlo faculty team. “I work frequently with students who have diagnosed learning differences and help them implement their accommodations in the context of a Menlo classroom,” Lam said in a Zoom interview with The Coat of Arms. “I also work with students who may be struggling and need support by tutoring them in reading or writing or connecting them to resources. I’m here to help students succeed academically.”

 As the Academic Support Coordinator, she also works with many freshmen on their high school transition and helps connect students to other support outlets on campus, such as the guidance counselors, if needed.

This year is Lam’s 16th year in education. “I started off as an English teacher in Redwood City and Sacramento,” Lam said. “I taught English for seven years and worked with all high school grade levels. After that, I coached new teachers and facilitated professional development.” 

According to Lam, English was her favorite subject in school growing up. “When I was a kid, I thought I really loved literature,” Lam said. “However as a teacher, I realized that I actually loved non-fiction since it is practical for real life, and analyzing it helps you take in information and make decisions based on evidence.”

After teaching English, Lam began working as an instructional coach and curriculum designer at Summit Public Schools, a network of schools in California with nine total campuses. She remained in this role through last year before deciding to take on her role at Menlo.

Lam also mentioned that she is grateful and happy to be working in education. “I love when my former students or kids I’ve worked with use the skills they learned from me […] in their first job or in college,” Lam said. “The skills from high school really transfer over to adult lives.”

Outside of school, Lam enjoys going for walks, reading and hiking with her two kids. “Both my kids are also at Menlo childcare, so they come to school with me every day,” Lam said. “They love the school, get to play here and meet my coworkers. It’s really nice to have them here and much more time-efficient. I get to see them whenever I want.”