Humanities Faculty
Humanities Department Faculty
Scholars from the English and History departments cross traditional disciplines to gather in the Humanities, will which serve as a foundational course your freshman year. Whether you’re studying an ancient sculpture or reading a Shakespearean play, your Humanities teachers will guide your questions and observations toward understanding.
Humanities Department Chair
History and Humanities Teacher
25 House Dorm Parent
Assistant Swimming Coach
805-684-4127 x233
ivan_barry@cate.org
BA, Georgetown University
MA, Johns Hopkins SAIS
MA, Bosporus University (Istanbul)
Appointed: 2010
Very familiar with the world of boarding schools, Ivan both grew up at and attended Phillips Academy, Andover. Following his undergraduate degree in history from Georgetown University and his graduate degree in international affairs and finance from Johns Hopkins SAIS, Ivan spent numerous years in the world of global finance and international management consulting with firms located in Washington, DC, Istanbul, and Boston.
Deciding to return to his passion of teaching, Ivan joined the Cate faculty in 2010. He currently serves as Chair of the Humanities Department, wherein he is a key proponent of both inquiry and interdisciplinary learning at Cate School. He also teaches in the History Department where he interweaves his extensive international and private sector experience with his global history teachings on the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
Ivan coaches the varsity swim team in the spring and is an instructor in the outdoors program in the winter. He lives on the Mesa with his wife Rebekah, also a member of the Cate faculty, and their two boys, Kiyan and Aydin.
Educational Technology Specialist
History and Humanities Teacher
805-684-4127 x228
rebekah_barry@cate.org
BA, Fort Lewis College
MA, Brown University
MA, John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies
Appointed: 2011
After graduating from college, Rebekah moved to Washington, DC, where she worked in the realm of national security (including positions at the Pentagon and National Defense University). Rebekah then went on to earn an MA in international relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Relations, ultimately moving to Istanbul to complete her thesis research. She later returned to the East Coast to pursue a second graduate degree in Anthropology at Brown University. It was as a graduate teaching assistant at Brown that Rebekah discovered her longer-term interest lay in curriculum design and teaching. Prior to joining Cate, Rebekah served as Adjunct Faculty, Adjunct Faculty Advisor, and Curriculum Developer for Air University’s “Introduction to Culture” program.
Rebekah now teaches in Cate’s Humanities Department and also offers an advanced senior elective on the “Anthropology of Global Issues” and an interdisciplinary senior elective on “Gender Matters.” In addition, Rebekah is the Technology Educational Specialist and works to promote the integration of technology in the classroom to best serve both students and faculty.
Rebekah lives on Mesa with her husband and two young sons. When they are not immersing themselves in boarding school life, Rebekah and her family enjoy exploring the beaches, foothills, and mountains of Southern California as well as traveling internationally.
English and Humanities Teacher
Assistant Cross Country Coach
805-684-4127 x302
alicia_hammond@cate.org
BA, Colby College
MA, Dartmouth College
Appointed: 2015
A fourth-generation Californian, Alicia’s educational foundation and passion for teaching were cultivated during her childhood on the Monterey Peninsula, where she developed a love of the outdoors, a tie to the Pacific, and a fervor for backpacking in the Los Padres National Forest.
Alicia has spent her entire adult life living on boarding school campuses, including over a decade on campuses in northern New England. At Colby, Dartmouth, and Dublin School, she learned to love the rigors and traditions of New England educational communities. As Maya Angelou so wisely wrote, however, “The ache for home lives in all of us,” and she felt her roots in California tugging her gently yet firmly back to the west coast.
In her time outside of the classroom, Alicia enjoys running, reading, hiking, camping and traveling with her family.
History Department Chair
History, English, and Humanities Teacher
805-684-8409 x284
lauren_jared@cate.org
BA, Scripps College
MA, University of California, Santa Barbara
Appointed: 1991
After graduating from Scripps with a major in history, Lauren received her master’s degree in history from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Though she did not complete her dissertation, Lauren gained an extensive background in the Middle Ages while finishing her course work and exams towards a PhD. As a teaching assistant, she also taught undergraduate courses at UCSB before arriving at Cate in 1991. Here at Cate, she has taught in both the history and English departments. Currently, she typically teaches US History and Freshman Humanities, a team-taught, inquiry-based course designed to give students an interdisciplinary understanding of Western European culture. In October 2015, to honor Lauren’s teaching and leadership in the history department, she was awarded the endowed O. Curtis Crawford Chair.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, swimming, and playing piano. She lives off campus with her husband, Todd. Lauren and Todd are the proud parents of two Cate graduates, Alissa ’12 and James ’15.
Hannah_Solis-Cohen@cate.org
BA, University of Virginia
M.Ed., University of Pennsylvania
Appointed: 2020
Hannah Solis-Cohen joined the Cate community as a history teacher, cross country coach, and dorm parent. Born and raised in New York City on the Upper West Side, Hannah attended boarding school at Northfield Mount Hermon in Western Massachusetts. Upon graduating from NMH, Hannah studied history at the University of Virginia, where she was also a four-year scholarship member of the UVA Varsity Rowing Team. During her tenure at UVA, Hannah won NCAA’s in 2015 in the Varsity 4+ and helped the Hoos place third at NCAA’s in 2016. Hannah was also the 2016 recipient of the Craig Fielder Memorial Award for Leadership and a four-year member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Eager to return to boarding school after college, Hannah worked in admissions at Blair Academy until she began her graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania in the Independent School Teaching Residency Program. Hannah comes to Cate from the Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn. where she spent two years teaching history with a specific focus on exploring the role of first-person narratives in secondary history education as part of her graduate work. Hannah lives on campus with her dog, Sadie.
BA, Colby College
MS, University of Pennsylvania
Appointed: 2021
A familiar face to the Mesa, Randy Person – a member of the Class of 2010 – returns to Cate as an English and Humanities Instructor following stints at St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I. and St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. After graduating from Cate, Randy went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and earned his master’s of science in education from the University of Pennsylvania.
A standout student-athlete for the Rams, Randy will return to the sidelines to coach football, basketball, and lacrosse, in addition to his duties as an advisor and dorm parent in Savage.
Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Randy‘s hobbies include pottery, thrifting, and adding to his sneaker collection. He is looking forward to meeting the students, participating in new and old traditions, and of course, every opportunity to BEAT THACHER!
MBA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
MA, Claremont Graduate University
BA, Pitzer College
Michael Szanyi joins the Cate community as an English and Humanities Instructor, with excitement to contribute to the dance and musical programs. Michael was previously at The Webb Schools in Claremont, Calif. for 12 years. During his time at Webb, he held roles such as Dean of Faculty, Assistant Director of the Summer Program, Head of Dorms, Lead Class Advisor, and Dance Program Director. Michael loves diving into new classes and has had the privilege of designing courses such as Literature and Psychology, Honors LGBT American Stories, and Advanced Studies Experimental Literature. With experience as a Lecturer, Adjunct, and Choreographer in Dance at Pomona College, Michael has had the opportunity to perform domestically and internationally with the Pennington Dance Group, Laurie Cameron and Company, and the Inland Pacific Ballet. In his free time, Michael loves traveling and learning about the world, listening to Britney Spears, enjoying fashion blogs, and sharing his excitement for “experimental” novels.