Teddymax Talanoa

Michael Rea, a high school chemistry teacher in California once said, “Education is about making you more human.” It was these words that launched TeddyMax into a lifelong journey of considering the purposes and practicalities of 21st century schools as a place where humans are formed in the likeness of Christ.

Being born the eldest son to a large immigrant household from the South Pacific Islands of Tonga and Samoa, TeddyMax found himself split between two different visions for acculturation in the United States: one of assimilation and one of integration. This was exacerbated by a childhood marked by multiple geographical moves that exposed him to populations of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. More than this, he was also introduced to various educational environments from the public school system to a classical homeschool program to private Christian schools. And yet, the earliest classroom TeddyMax can remember finding himself in was the living room of his grandmother’s apartment where she taught him lessons of faith and family.

This grew in him a passion to understand the role of education in human formation and sociocultural evolution, which led to his study of Psychology and Political Science during undergrad. Since graduating, he has gone on to work in the human services field providing therapeutic services to at-risk youth in urban contexts. He and his fiancé, Peyton, both feel a sense of calling to the New England region and dream of raising a family of prophetic storytellers who stand at the intersection of competing narratives around identity and vocation amongst rising generations, declaring truth, beauty and goodness over them. They are both involved members in their church, The Table Boston, and enjoy going to the movies, eating good food, and spending time in libraries.