Admissions Ambassadors

We know that finding the right school for your children can be a challenge, and we want to make the process a little easier for you. That's why our admissions ambassadors are here to help!

Admissions ambassadors are volunteers from our community who are happy to connect with you to share their Rowland Hall experience. They aren't admissions representatives, employees, or salespeople; they are real members of our community who want to answer your questions to help you decide if Rowland Hall would be a good fit for your child(ren). Conversations with admissions ambassadors are private, personal, and do not affect admission results. We invite you to read a bit about our ambassadors, find someone you connect with, reach out to them, and start making meaningful relationships within the Rowland Hall community.

Our Ambassadors

Melanie Bates

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Lila (grade 7), Lauren (grade 10), Kaitlyn (grade 12)

Students' Interests: AP classes, basketball, dance, soccer, Student Council, theatre, volleyball

Prior School: Monte Cassino

Biography: We moved to Salt Lake City in 2014 from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have three girls, and this is their eighth year attending Rowland Hall. Currently we have a 12th grader, 10th grader, and 7th grader. All three girls play a variety of sports, as well as participate in several academic groups.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: We love the incredible sense of community that Rowland Hall provides. There are lots of opportunities for parents and students to get involved. The teachers and faculty are amazing—they truly have taken the time to get to know each of our girls and have made learning fun and interactive. We also love the way Rowland Hall fosters an environment that is supportive of all kids.

Contact Melanie

Erin Bean

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Rose (kindergarten), Tom (grade 3), Marin (grade 6)

Students' Interests: Art, music, soccer, theatre

Biography: My husband and I have three kids at Rowland Hall. Our oldest joined the Beginning School in 2012; at the time, she was our only child. We didn't expect to stay beyond 4PreK, but here we are, 10 years and two younger siblings later, with no plans to leave!

What I Love about Rowland Hall: I love knowing that my kids aren't just being drilled with facts they'll forget in a few years. They're learning how to think about problems, how to push through tricky concepts, and about how disparate concepts—like math and social studies, or poetry and physical science—are actually interrelated.

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Heather Ciriello

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Marco (grade 2), Mia (grade 6), Gemma (grade 9)

Students' Interests: Art, dance, foreign language, sports, STEM, Student Council

Biography: We moved to Salt Lake from Los Angeles on a whim 10 years ago in search of a better quality of life for our young children (before it was the "in" thing to do!) and never looked back. Resoundingly, anyone familiar with Salt Lake City who knew us from our previous lives in New York and LA said, "If you're moving there you've gotta send your kids to Rowland Hall!"

What I Love about Rowland Hall: Rowland Hall has been where we've found our people, our community, and our kids' safe haven for the past 10 years. Whether it's challenging them academically, helping them to find their voices, or ensuring they have an understanding of the world around them and that their actions/words matter, Rowland Hall's incredible faculty and administration continue to deliver. As a relatively new board member, I've been fortunate enough to peek behind the curtain and can now confidently say … the Wizard is real!

Contact Heather

Tasha Hatton

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Gabrielle (grade 7), Eli (grade 9)

Students' Interests: Computer science, cross country, dance, debate, French, publications, Student Council, track and field, Tech Club, volleyball

Biography: Our oldest child started 3PreK at Rowland Hall in 2009. We are a family of four who returned to Utah in 2007 after living in Northern California for five years. Our love of the outdoors, a simpler daily lifestyle, and family drew us back to Salt Lake City.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: We feel at home in the Rowland Hall community. Most importantly, the teachers and administrators consistently take an interest in each child to understand who they are as learners and individuals. This support has provided my children with the confidence to take on academic challenges and seek out opportunities that spark their interests. When they graduate from Rowland Hall, we expect that they will have the self-knowledge and integrity to pursue their interests and lead happy, productive, and virtuous lives.

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Gina Miller

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Kiri (grade 8), Reece (grade 11)

Students' Interests: Anime Club, art, creative writing, SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance), theatre

Biography: My family has been at Rowland Hall for 15 years! My oldest child, Reece, started in 2PreK and will be graduating in 2023. My youngest child, Kiri, started in 3PreK and will be entering ninth grade next year.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: I love many things about Rowland Hall—the teachers, the community, the inclusive environment of the school. I love that Rowland Hall offers a well-rounded academic program focused on the whole child. I love hearing about all of the discussions held in class and seeing my children grow as critical thinkers. I’m so glad that they are getting a level of education that I didn’t get growing up.

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Jenna and Steve Pagoaga

City of Residence: Millcreek

Students: Ollie (kindergarten), William (grade 4)

Students' Interests: Garden Club, Pokémon Club

Biography: Our family of four are all Utah born and raised, and we reside in East Millcreek. We have two children, and both are currently at Rowland Hall. William started at Rowland Hall in 4PreK and is currently in fourth grade, while Oliver started in 2PreK and is currently in kindergarten. Jenna is also an alum of Rowland Hall (a proud lifer who attended from 4PreK through twelfth grade) and a member of the McCarthey Campus Home & School Association.

What We Love about Rowland Hall: We love Rowland Hall for its close-knit and very diverse community that provides an incredible environment for our children and family to learn and grow. The faculty and staff of Rowland Hall are second to none. We are pleased every day to see how excited our children are to go to school, see their friends, and learn new things.

Contact Jenna and Steve

Manisha Shah

City of Residence: Park City

Students: Zach (grade 2), Aiden (grade 9)

Students' Interests: Chess Club, debate, soccer, STEM, Tech Club, Ultimate Frisbee

Biography: My husband and I moved to Park City from South Florida in 2003. We were looking for a change in our lifestyle and decided to move out West. We enjoy outdoor adventures, traveling, and family time playing games. Our eldest has been at Rowland Hall for 10 years; he started in kindergarten and it was an obvious choice for us to send our youngest here when he was ready for kindergarten.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: We have loved the experience with teachers our children have had. The relationships they have had with them and the support received have been the key to their love of learning in and outside of the classroom.

Contact Manisha

Katie Tyser

City of Residence: Salt Lake City

Students: Marcus (grade 3), Ada (grade 6)

Students' Interests: Debate, foreign language, music, sports, STEM

Biography: We have been at Rowland Hall since our 12-year-old was in kindergarten. I am a teacher and my husband is a physician, and we have been loving our life in Salt Lake City since we moved here in 2006 for his work. Our favorite activities are skiing, mountain biking, backpacking and camping, and going to Broadway plays and dinners with friends.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: The main reason we love Rowland Hall is that our kids both LOVE going to school every day and are 100% engaged in their learning. A big reason for this is the incredible teaching and support staff. They are particularly motivated by all of the projects and activities their teachers create, the strong sense of community in their classes, and the ability they have to ask questions and explore ideas deeply.

Contact Katie

Ruchi Watson

City of Residence: Salt Lake City/Holladay

Student: Arya (grade 2)

Previous School: Bright Horizons

Student's Interests: Art, Extended Day, music, soccer, SummerWorks, Winter Sports

Biography: Welcome, prospective Rowland Hall families! We are the Watsons. Tony and I moved to Salt Lake City in 2012, not knowing a soul, and have loved exploring the mountains and meeting lovely people here ever since. We joined the Rowland Hall community in 2019 for kindergarten.

What I Love about Rowland Hall: In a word, we love the community at Rowland Hall. We learn with and laugh with (and get reminded of due dates with) our fellow parents. Teachers and administrators are extremely accessible, and our daughter has found a diverse, well-rounded community where she feels represented.

Contact Ruchi