Born and raised in the Region, Brittany Hulen has planted strong roots in the community and is proud to call Northwest Indiana her home.
“I’m proud of where I’m from, and I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else,” said Hulen.
After graduating from Crown Point High School, Hulen began her student career at IUPUI in Indianapolis, IN working toward one main goal: OBTAINING HER DEGREE. Hulen started her student career and deeply began missing home.
“I was grateful for the experience and loved meeting new people and being in a new place, but I needed to come back home,” said Hulen.
Hulen moved home and transferred to Indiana University Northwest. She shortly graduated with a bachelor’s degree in general studies and a minor in sports management. Hulen was excited to be introduced to the adult world, COVID-19 hit. She was not only unable to walk across the stage for her graduation ceremony, but quickly realized that many businesses were struggling and not in the place to hire.
“I came out of college into this weird time where the world was quiet. Things seemed rough, and I knew I had to make some sort of decision,” said Hulen.
After waiting out the pandemic, Hulen realized she had to get to work. She began working at the Gary steel mills. During this time, she realized that the long hours and environment were taking a toll on her.
“I had to make a change. I have always loved children and knew that I could turn that love into something productive,” said Hulen.
Hulen used her love for children as a motivation to enroll in Taylor University and begin her path into education. Hulen is scheduled to graduate with her teaching certificate in November!
“My niece and step-sister were my inspiration for becoming a teacher. The time I spent with them laughing and teaching them new things in life gave me so much joy,” said Hulen.
Hulen is now a health teacher at Willowcreek Middle School and a softball coach for Portage High School.
“Coaching previously at Crown Point high school and now Portage High School has given me the chance to share my love of the game and my knowledge with my players. I always tell them my biggest regret was not playing college ball, so if I can get them to work harder on their studies and focus on the game my goal to push them to the next level is achieved,” said Hulen.
Helping young minds develop thinking skills while they’re still young and trying to figure out who they are has made this career choice even more rewarding for Hulen.