Kevin Hillman, newcomer to the Williston community, is eager to once again change the course of his professional career and take on the task of relaying his love for French to students of all grade levels.

Susan Michalski, French teacher and dorm parent at Wold House, has only known Hillman for a short period of time, yet she has recognized the positivity the new member of the Wildcat community brings to the French department.

“After just a couple of days, I can already see that Monsieur Hillman brings a palpable joy and love of French to the classroom,” she said.

Hillman, born and raised in Wisconsin, went into the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh as an education major with a focus on English and History. However, it was not until his junior year that he opted to pursue his curiosity towards the French language. With no previous involvement on the matter, he found himself to be a strong language learner and “absolutely fell in love with it,” he explained, even though he “R`never thought [he] would like languages.”

“I always tell students and everybody, you always have to try things you’ve never tried before to see what you like,” Hillman said.

Completely turning around his academic path, Hillman pursued French, completed his degree, and then traveled to France for two years. It was there that he discovered his passion for teaching.

Hillman shared that the idea of  becoming a teacher “just made sense,” since he comes from a family of educators. Growing up, Hillman also worked with students during the summer on several occasions as a camp counselor and member of youth programs.

Hillman, who has been a teacher for almost fifteen years, quickly dove into the opportunity of a new teaching experience and has found Williston to be a great fit.

“I wanted something a little different, and the change happened, and it was perfect,” he said.

Hillman has taken over Mrs. Brown’s 7th grade French 1A, 3, and 4 regular and 5 Honors groups while she is on maternity leave.

Anita Hua, a senior from Shanghai, China, takes Hillman’s Honors French 5 class. The whole class was exciting after meeting such an upbeat teacher.

“After our [previous] teacher left, we were not sure who was gonna [be] teach[ing] the class,” she said. “We were worried until he came and introduced himself. .. We eventually felt the trust.”

Katherine Kang, a junior who also takes his Honors French 5 class, agrees with Anita. “We’ve only had a few classes with him; he seems to have a lot of energy,”.

Anita feels inspired by Hillman’s eagerness towards the language.

“He’s so passionate about French,” she said. “and knowledgeable about everything he teaches. He sets really good foundations for all of us.”

Aside from French, Hillman has found a strong passion in cross country running, having previously been a coach for almost nine years, as well as gardening and outdoor activities.