For 24 years, Susy Baranszky-Job has brought creativity, curiosity, and unmistakable personality to Southridge classrooms. Through art, conversation, and countless moments of connection, she has encouraged students to think differently, express themselves authentically, and embrace the wonderfully complex process of being human.

When Ms Baranszky-Job first applied to Southridge, she admits her motivations may have been somewhat unconventional. “I applied for the art teaching position thinking it might be a fabulous opportunity to talk endlessly about myself,” she jokes. “I tend to enjoy that.”

But what kept her here ran much deeper. “I stayed because I found creative and intellectual license at Southridge.”

Over nearly a quarter century at the school, Ms Baranszky-Job found not only a place to teach, but a community that embraced the whole person. “Many people in this organization have recognized me as a whole person, with family and life events beyond the campus, both joyous and sorrowful.”

That sense of connection and belonging became a defining part of her Southridge journey. Teaching art for more than 35 years in total, Ms Baranszky-Job says there is no single defining moment that captures why she loves teaching. “There’s too many to recall,” she says. “It would not be possible to teach this long if joy was not present on a daily basis.”

Beyond the classroom, experiences through co-curricular programs and travel added another dimension to her teaching life. One memory that stands out especially was leading a combined art and creative writing course in France. “I loved running a joint art and creative writing course for students in France with some guy who used to teach at Southridge,” she says with characteristic humour (iykyk 😉).

She also reflects on the people around her who shaped her experience. “My fellow creative, intellectual, kind, and expansively existential-thinking colleagues and students made me feel not too weird.”

For new teachers arriving at Southridge, she offers advice that is both simple and insightful, “Remember you are entering a village of all sorts, so play nice.”

As retirement begins, Susy looks forward to something less structured and more contemplative, including “breathing deeply in the early morning hours while savouring a view and the smell of the ocean.”

Her perfect day sounds equally thoughtful and delightfully open-ended: “A boat ride and then time with an incredibly interesting person, animal, or item of food.”

When asked what passions she hopes to pursue next, her answer feels especially fitting for someone who has spent a career helping others discover themselves. “I am excited to meet and honour myself as I am now, not as I was. Is it awful to view your own life as a passion project? A redundant question.”

Over the years, students have likely heard one phrase from Ms Baranszky-Job hundreds of times - “It’s fabulous!" And when asked how she hopes students would describe her, she answers with three words that somehow capture both honesty and humanity perfectly: Fair. Faulty. Fabulous.

She also leaves behind one lesson that has remained with her throughout her time at Southridge: “To lead an empathetic life is to be truly wealthy and successful.”

It is a philosophy that has clearly shaped not only her teaching, but also the impact she has had on students and colleagues over the years.

Thank you, Ms Baranszky-Job, for the creativity, care, and wonderfully fabulous presence you have brought to Southridge over the past 24 years.