Melissa Henderson ’13 is living and teaching in India.
International teachers and St. Cloud State University alumni Melissa Henderson ’13 and Lukas Gohl ’14 both grew up in Stearns County and went to school at the same time, but never crossed paths until they started working together in India.
The now neighbors living in Mumbai, India, both work at the Oberoi International School where Gohl teaches English and Henderson, elementary music.
Henderson moved to St. Cloud from Pittsburgh, Pa., when she was 11 years old, bringing with her a passion for music. She became involved with St. Cloud State as early as ninth grade, playing flute with the university Wind Ensemble. Upon graduating from St. Cloud Technical High School in 2008, she attended St. Cloud State and participated in Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Combo, the Honor’s Program and campus ministries.
Her love of music and desire to work with children motivated her to pursue a degree in music education. While at St. Cloud State, she studied abroad in South Africa, which she says was a life-changing experience that inspired her to teach internationally.
Her inspiration led her to an international school job fair where more than 100 schools from all across the world hire American teachers. She landed a job as a novice music teacher at the American School of Bombay in Mumbai, propelling herself into a new career and culture.
While working at the school, Henderson came across someone especially interesting, a fellow St. Cloud State graduate.
“Someone told me there was a student teacher coming from St. Cloud State, and I thought no way! I wonder if I know him,” Henderson said.
Lukas Gohl ’14
That student teacher was Lukas Gohl, a St. Joseph, Minn., native and graduate of Sartell High School.
“One day she stopped by and was wearing a Sartell High School shirt. I couldn’t help but laugh, as I’m pretty sure that’s the first time Sartell has been represented in Mumbai,” Gohl said.
Despite attending school together, they had never met before.
Gohl studied communication arts and literature at St. Cloud State and wrote for the University Chronicle, the university’s newspaper. His work was also featured in school publications “Kaleidoscope” and “Upper Mississippi Harvest” and he worked as a writing consultant for the school’s Write Place. Gohl graduated with his teaching degree in spring 2014.
Similar to Henderson, he credits previous experiences abroad as inspiration for international teaching, as he taught English as a second language in Chile in 2011.
Following the American School of Bombay, both Henderson and Gohl were separately led to new teaching jobs at the Oberoi International School in Mumbai, and, by sheer happenstance, were placed together on the same floor for housing.
Both former Huskies will remain teachers at the school at least until the end of the 2015-2016 school year. For now, they are immersing themselves in the hustle and bustle that is Indian city life.
“You never know what to really expect, and if you demand too much you will be disappointed. You just have to go with the flow here, but India is full of adventure and excitement and I am thankful for this amazing opportunity I have to explore it,” Henderson said.
As for their future, nothing is set in stone but teaching internationally remains a focus, and who knows where and with whom the two may cross paths next.
“For now the future is wide open,” Gohl said. “The world is a strange and coincidental place.”
