The Art of Authenticity

Written by Samantha 23'

Underserved and unaccepted for the rule-breaker she was, Catherine Stines took her ambition, strength, and negative high school experience to become a successful woman and inspiring role model. Here at The Darrow School, Ms. Stines sets an example for the community with her determination, integrity, passion, approachability, and a little bit of rebellion. Ms. Stines gives all of herself to the world and genuinely motivates the people around her through honest interactions to live their best lives; we could all take a page out of her book.

Catherine Stines is a coach, history teacher, and Director of Experiential Learning at The Darrow School. She is a worldwide educational consultant and will soon earn a doctorate degree in education, but most of all, she has a knack for inspiring others to do their best. Ms. Stines loves tennis, dogs, cooking, traveling, and connecting with people. She enjoys taking care of others, and likes to see the possibilities of the world by saying yes more often than no.

“Some days I’m like, ‘Man I’m killin’ this life! Whew! Go Stines!’ you know? But … some days I’m like, ‘I need a bucket of ice cream and a good movie, and … I’m probably gonna’ quit this life’ … I definitely have those days. But … the thing that I always go back to is that I have … air in my lungs and people around me that I know love me.”

Her passion for progress and determination to thrive makes her the person we all know and love in this community.

“I think I felt very underserved when I was in high school and the way that … I’ve always been myself and that always hasn’t been … everybody’s cup of tea .… The fact that I am who I am and I don’t apologize for it, … can sometimes … turn people off.” Difficult beginnings helped Ms. Stines realize the importance of authenticity and encouraging role models. “I think I often felt unseen, unheard, … like I didn’t have an adult.”

Along her journey, Ms. Stines found herself unsatisfied with her extravagant life as a corporate event planner and wished for a way she could make a difference in the world; eventually, Ms. Stines found her purpose as a teacher.

“As I got older, as I … started to get to know people more, I realized that … I had a strength in making people feel seen and heard… then I started to honor that gift too. I started to realize that … doing those things or … being that person to many people is a strength, and when you … start to realize … that’s what I’m good at and you feel confident in it, … that’s … what I think I would hold on to or continue to do.” She uses her talent for connection to inspire and guide high school students today.

Although Ms. Stines has accomplished great things within the educational field, an even greater success is understanding what it means to be her. “So I think when I did, after many years of contemplation get into education, I just knew… I needed to be the adult that I was, which was always the same person that I have always been and I couldn’t apologize for it …. I could … do that for … every student and person that I met. … I would take them as they were and … I could see them as their truest self every day.” She explained how creating a sincere environment helps her connect with students and bring out their authenticity, “Once someone sees you, you can kind of let go of all that stuff that makes you insecure and just … live your most honest life.”

As time goes on, Ms. Stines remains rebellious and ambitious, but also allows herself to grow as a person and be impacted by the people around her.

“… I’ve definitely become less insecure. … I can kill a dress and I’m like, ‘Hell ya I can,’ you know, get out there and do whatever I need to do. … I can see beauty in every single human and it’s so nice to be able to … live in that space,” she said. “… I think I can handle my emotions more … I think I know how to access vulnerability without pushing people to do the same in an untimely way …”

Ms. Stines continues to influence students at Darrow to make an impact on the world, break a few rules, and most importantly, never change themselves.

“My … rules are accountability and vulnerability: … staying accountable to growth and to being who you are and to being unapologetically yourself … master the art of being you.”