Since her time at WMS, alumna Brie Willoughby-Knox - who now calls Sydney, Australia, home - has literally reached the far corners of the globe. Wanderlust gripped her during her college years, and she's never looked back.
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Brie as a WMS sixth-grader in 1992
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As a college senior, Brie volunteered to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic - an experience that unearthed her passion for teaching, travelling, experiencing different cultures and learning languages.
"Before I finished my degree, I was madly scoping out opportunities abroad," she said.
She wound up moving to Busan in South Korea to teach English, where she met her husband, Ricardo. Brie and Ricardo soon got into a routine of teaching English for a year and then travelling for a few months, adventuring through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, India and Japan.
Ten years ago, Brie and Ricardo moved to Sydney, Australia, to pursue post-graduate degrees. Brie completed a master's degree in applied linguistics at Macquarie University and has almost finished a doctorate in the same field.
"We had never planned to stay, but it is amazing here, so we have made it our home," she said. "We are currently applying for dual citizenship!"
Growing up in Delaware, Brie didn't venture quite so far. After graduating from WMS in 1992, she attended The Tatnall School for a year before continuing on to Wilmington Friends School for the rest of middle school and all of high school.
Brie knew she wanted to go to a small liberal arts school and her college adviser at Wilmington Friends introduced her to a book called "Colleges that Change Lives." After visiting 20 schools listed in that book, she settled on Roanoke College in Virginia.
"I really fell in love with Roanoke when I visited," she said. "It's nestled in the foothills of the Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, which is just stunning. I studied English literature, poetry and art. I'm still in close contact with many of my professors."
Now a professor herself, Brie is currently lecturing at two different universities on a range of subjects, from a master's program for ESL teachers to a government-funded pathway program for people who missed out on university as young adults. She's also involved in curriculum development, has written three textbooks and has produced 50 learning videos.
When she's not busy teaching or writing, Brie runs a business called
Education Journeys Australia, which supports young people who want to come to Sydney to study, travel around, spend a gap year or live permanently.
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Brie with her children, Matilda and Emilio, vacationing in Samoa
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Since their arrival in Sydney, Brie and Ricardo have welcomed a daughter, Matilda Wednesday, and a son, Emilio Andres.
Brie has come full circle to her Montessori roots, now as a Montessori parent. Her daughter attends the
Inner Sydney Montessori School - an experience that has brought back fond memories for Brie.
"I feel a similar sense of calm and purpose as I remember from my time at WMS," she said. "Some activities, like the sandpaper letter and the pink tower, bring back a flood of good memories. From a parent's perspective, I am constantly floored at how capable the children are."
Matilda's Montessori experience has also given Brie a greater appreciation for how Montessori education shaped her own learning.
"I am incredibly thankful for my Montessori education and I am now appreciative of all of the hard work my parents put it to make that a priority," she said. "I believe that it's where my confidence, curiosity, passion and work ethic come from. Particularly in the early years, I think that nurturing connected environment is exactly what I needed to thrive."
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