Alumna Receives Key Club Faculty Advisor Award

Caldwell, N.J., Nov. 2, 2021 – Caldwell University alumna Lindsay Hulin ‘14 has received the New Jersey Key Club’s 2021 Dominico Gatti Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.  

Key Club is a student-led organization that gives members opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership. The group works in partnership with the local Kiwanis organizations. 

Hulin, a special education teacher and Key Club advisor at Parsippany High School, was honored to be chosen for an award for which she was nominated by the student officers and co-advisor. She is proud to have had the opportunity to advise the club since 2018 and work with high school students to create meaningful service opportunities, especially during the pandemic. “Despite many obstacles and challenges the student officers worked tirelessly to create meaningful service opportunities,” said Hulin. The club hosted virtual read-alouds for elementary students in the district, made Christmas cards for local nursing homes, sent notes of appreciation to healthcare heroes, and made Halloween and Easter goody bags for children who were receiving assistance from a local food pantry. 

As an educator, Hulin most appreciates the role she can play in her students’ lives. “My goals are to help them love learning, recognize their potential, and feel confident in their skills and abilities.” 

When she looks back at her time at Caldwell, she is appreciative of the faculty in the History and  Political Science and Education Departments who prepared her for the joys and challenges of teaching. “They showed me how to ask the hard questions. The “why” and “how” and “what if” kinds of questions. These kinds of questions challenged me as a teacher.” Those are questions, she says, that challenge her as a teacher today and she in turn wants   her students “to  inquire, analyze, and use their prior knowledge to get to the answer.” 

Hulin’s love for community service was developed while an undergraduate at Caldwell where took advantage of just about every project offered including volunteer trips to serve the poor in Belize and eastern Kentucky, Midnight Runs to reach out to the homeless in New York City, tutoring at a local Catholic school, and coordinating fundraisers and item drives for moms in need. “There were so many opportunities available for us as students to get involved in volunteering, so I strive to make sure my students have those same opportunities to help them learn compassion, empathy, and how to recognize needs in their community and problem solve ways to help.” 

###