In addition to the handful of new faculty and staff members who recently joined Regina Dominican this school year, a warm welcome is offered to theology teacher Ms. Veronica Rusk! Besides teaching courses such as Faith in Film and Fiction, Theology II, and Women’s Spirituality, Ms. Rusk can often be found helping out with masses and other religious events and activities.

The youngest of three siblings, Ms. Rusk grew up in Weston, a suburb in southern Florida about a mile outside of the Everglades. Her sister got married in June and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Her brother lives in Pennsylvania. She and her siblings are very close, so it’s a lot of fun when the three of them get together since they each live so far from each other. 

Over one thousand miles away from Weston, Ms. Rusk eventually landed in Chicago to attend Loyola University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Film and Digital Media and Women and Gender Studies. She is currently working towards her Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies at Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. 

Throughout her life, Ms. Rusk has always enjoyed talking about topics that she loves and learning about new things. She wanted to be able to use her passion for her interests towards something meaningful, which led her to pursue a career in education. 

When asked about her journey in becoming a teacher, Ms. Rusk said, “It felt like taking a big risk because I wasn’t sure if I was any good at it, but teaching just comes naturally to me.” 

Prior to becoming a part of our Panther community, Ms. Rusk worked as a coordinator of religious education for two years, teaching confirmation classes on the weekends. When she was finally ready to leave that job, a friend of a friend of her mom’s believed that she would be a good fit for an open theology teaching position at Regina Dominican and told her about it. She quickly became interested, having often heard good things about the school from her mom, a Regina alum, and seized the opportunity when offered the position. 

When she’s not busy drawing connections between Barbie and the Bible in Room 201A, Ms. Rusk enjoys going to the movies, reading, spending time with friends and family, playing video games, and hanging out with her two roommates at home.

As she describes herself, Ms. Rusk always strives to be very kind, open-minded, and understanding. She also likes to have fun and be surrounded by people she cares about. Through these qualities, she embodies a true Panther, and we are so grateful to have her as a member of the RDHS family!