2001 Sachem North grad becomes teacher, coach

LAUREN MOCK

THEN
Age: 18
Year graduated: 2001 Sachem High School North
Interests: Coaching gymnastics, softball.
What's Ahead: Elementary education, SUNY Cortland.

NOW
Age 28
Current residence: Ronkonkoma
Education: Bachelor’s degree in health education, Cortland University, 2005; master’s degree in special education, Touro College, 2009.
Occupation: Health teacher, Great Neck North High School

Lauren Mock had a vision for her future and it has worked out pretty much as planned.

The Sachem High School North graduate, who had a weighted GPA of 97.24 in 2001, went on to Cortland University and spent four years on the school’s gymnastics team. She had been on Sachem’s varsity gymnastics team since the eighth grade.

Mock, now 28 and living in Ronkonkoma, just finished her first year as a health teacher at Great Neck North High School. She previously taught for three years in the Smithtown Central School District, where she was also a middle school gymnastics coach. She volunteers as a gymnastics coach at Great Neck North.

About the only thing different about her career from what she has originally expected is a shift halfway through Cortland from elementary to health education.

Mock then earned a master’s degree in special education from Touro College in Bay Shore in 2009 and says she feels lucky, especially considering the current lack of available jobs in education.

“It’s bad right now, and it’s a shame. I know a lot of my friends who are great teachers, but there are just no opportunities.”