Prep Journeys: Kate Ambrose

During Commencement Weekend 2025, Kate Ambrose received two incredible honors: first, at the annual Bakari Awards Ceremony, she received the Dr. Chris Rupertus Award as an ally for students of color; then, at Baccalaureate Mass, she was presented the prestigious Rev. J. Vincent Taggart, S.J. Award. What makes the awards even more special, they were both voted on by students.

“The fact that the awards are selected by the students, I don’t know if there is an award that will mean more to me,” she says.

Ambrose is about to begin her seventh year at the Prep and is a valuable member of the History Department. She arrived after 12 years at Villa Joseph Marie High School, her alma mater and the only all-girls school in Bucks County. It was there as a student where Ambrose found her calling. 

She originally planned to teach kindergarten and had committed to studying elementary education at Kutztown University. However, during her senior year, a teacher’s impact changed her career path.

“Joel Hammond taught government and sociology and he was the coolest teacher I had ever had,” she says with a laugh. “He was not easy at all; in fact, his class was really challenging, but he was interesting and incredibly knowledgeable. Right then, I decided I wanted to do that for high school students like he did for us.”

Ambrose contacted Kutztown and changed her major, graduating with a B.S. in Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Sciences. She had stayed in touch with her former school and received a call from Villa Joe’s softball coach Tom Armbruster, who also taught in the history department. “He asked me if I wanted a job,” she said, much to the surprise of one of her professors who had encouraged Ambrose to look for a broader range of jobs. “I was one of the few of my friends who had a job before graduation,” she remembers proudly.

Ambrose spent a dozen years there, mostly teaching the same course that had inspired her: one semester of US Government and one semester of Sociology. She loved teaching the girls, who she calls “model students,” but was looking for a change. That’s when she saw an opportunity to come to the Prep. While she “didn’t know anything about the Prep except it was an all-boys school,” she had a good impression of it.

“My mom was a nursing professor at La Salle University and would talk about her students, what was happening at work, etc.,” Ambrose remembers. “I always remember her talking about the Prep guys she taught. In her lectures, she said that she could always point out the Prep graduates. They were the most outgoing, nicest young men she had ever met. When I saw the job posting, I remembered that and I figured that if I am going to teach all boys, I might as well teach at a place that produces gentlemen.”

She mostly taught Government and American History and filled in where needed. In 2020, she found a new subject area to challenge herself and her students. In the wake of the George Floyd murder and the protests surrounding that, the teachers of the History Department felt that there may be an opportunity to help combat misunderstandings about black history. “We discussed what we could bring to the Prep to address these issues that were happening in the world around us,” Ambrose said. An African American History Course was created and Department Chair Dave Fortin asked Ambrose to teach it. This pushed her outside of her comfort zone a bit.

“I really felt that my content knowledge for African American History and African History was not where it needed to be to teach this course effectively,” she says. “I have a Master’s Degree in History and still felt I was deficient in that area.” Ambrose utilized her education network and online communities. In actuality, it fit her skillset to a tee.

“I know that it is a cliche, but I strive to be a lifelong learner,” she says, “and I was learning the material along with the students, especially in the early days. In many respects, this is brand new to me and completely changed my view of history.”

When the College Board expanded their offerings to include AP African American History, the Prep jumped on board immediately and it has become a popular academic selection for students. “That AP designation often gives students an extra incentive but once they are in there, they seem to enjoy learning this subject matter and many have walked away with a new understanding or a new appreciation,” Ambrose says. “They are adding new information to add into their understanding of the history they have learned all of their lives.”

This is her goal for all students. “I want them to make historical connections from past to present,” she says. “I am very passionate about my work and I feel it is my personal responsibility that they have themes that they will be taking into college and life.”

It is also important for Ambrose to show her students that they are more than just a “grade in a grade book.” When an opening came to become the moderator of Student Council and her name was suggested to fill the role, she took it on with a goal of making the club more visible to the community. “I knew very little of what they were doing so I think I was a good example of the need to be more visible on campus,” she says

The students created a new Instagram account, created the Hawks Nest student section for sporting events, and ran activities to impact the experiences of the student body. “They do all of the heavy lifting and have done great work,” Ambrose says. “As the moderator, my role is to support them and point them in the right direction.”

Now, after seven years, Ambrose feels like a part of the St. Joseph’s Prep community. “I have felt welcome into the institution since I arrived and my colleagues and the administration have been supportive,” she says. “The last piece of that puzzle was the student body. I want students to be comfortable with me and me with them. I had come from an experience where I was teaching all girls and what works there is a bit different than what works with boys in the classroom.. Over the past few years, I feel accepted by the students. It’s good to be recognized by the people for whom I am there to do the work for, the students.”

The Taggart Award is named for Fr. Vince Taggart, S.J., one of the most beloved teachers of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. He also happened to be a member of the history department, same as Ambrose. That has great meaning for her, as do the comments from her colleagues.

“I have had so many fellow teachers tell me how meaningful this award is,” she says. “For me to be included among the giants who have won this award is incredibly humbling.”