In the Season 3 premiere of PrincipalED, Principal Grace McCallum sits down with Elizabeth DIAS’04—national religion correspondent for The New York Times and co-author of The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America. Recorded on campus on the same day as Branksome Hall’s Installation ceremony, where Elizabeth served as keynote speaker, this captivating conversation explores her journey from student writer to award-winning journalist and the foundational role her Branksome education played in shaping her career.

Grace and Elizabeth dive deep into the complexities of reporting on faith, power and politics in an increasingly polarized world. Elizabeth shares her approach to impartial storytelling, offering key insights on how to foster constructive dialogue across deep divides through active listening and intellectual curiosity. She reflects on the courage needed to navigate frontline journalism, reporting from challenging environments where she has confronted perpetrators of atrocities, endured political hostility and covered high-stakes national events.

Elizabeth discusses her latest reporting on the intersection of artificial intelligence and faith, reflecting on how religious leaders are prompting us to re-examine what it means to be human in an era of rapid technological change. She also pays tribute to the women who shaped her perspective and speaks to the vital power of solidarity and support among the ‘sisterhood’ of women journalists.

Tune in for an inspiring exploration of truth, journalism and the enduring strength of community.

Follow us on Instagram at @principalEDpod and listen to the PrincipalED podcast Spotify playlist at bit.ly/PrincipalED.

Follow and subscribe to the Branksome Hall YouTube channel, where you can see the video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@branksomehall.

The PrincipalED podcast is produced by Branksome Hall, Toronto's leading independent International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for girls. branksome.on.ca



Episode keywords: Journalism, faith, religion, AI, politics, constructive dialogue, New York Times, women in journalism, women journalists, female leadership in media, Elizabeth Dias

Show keywords: Branksome Hall, Grace McCallum, podcast, education, girls’ education, leadership, school leadership, independent schools, private schools, girls, teens, women, academic success, social-emotional learning, resilience, well-being, future of education, university preparation, women in leadership

What does it take to shape decades of young minds, redefine a math curriculum and still have enough energy for a Friday dance party with students? In the unforgettable Season 2 finale of PrincipalED, host Grace McCallum sits down with the veteran math educator Edith Louie for a deeply personal, full-circle conversation. Edith looks back on her remarkable 28-year journey as a teacher, Instructional Leader and Admissions Associate at Branksome Hall.

From her early childhood days teaching her stuffed animals after school to leading the Branksome Math Department for a decade, Edith’s impact on her students and colleagues has been profound. In this episode, Edith shares insights on:

• Restructuring the math curriculum to align with Branksome’s social-emotional learning strategy,
• Her influential work outside of Branksome with the International Baccalaureate Educator Network and the Independent Schools of Mathematics Association,
• The impact of community engagement and the initiatives Edith started, including a partnership with the Rose Avenue Public School,
• Why mentorship is important as she prepares to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders, and
• Her next chapter, as she prepares to transition into an expanded Admissions role, reflects on the lifelong impact of a Branksome education and shares her joy in being an ambassador for the school (and why she is committed to giving back as a legacy gift donor).

Stay tuned until the end for a delightful rapid-fire round featuring space-travel dreams, timeless maternal advice and a groovy look at the song that fuels Edith's morning commute!

Follow us on Instagram at @principalEDpod and listen to the PrincipalED podcast Spotify playlist at bit.ly/PrincipalED.

Follow and subscribe to the Branksome Hall YouTube channel, where you can see the video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@branksomehall.

The PrincipalED podcast is produced by Branksome Hall, Toronto's leading independent International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for girls. branksome.on.ca

Episode keywords: Curriculum development, instructional leader, global citizenship, community service, JUMP Math, growth mindset, teacher spotlight, Edith Louie, math mentorship, STEM education, International Baccalaureate, school admissions

Show keywords: Branksome Hall, Grace McCallum, podcast, education, girls’ education, leadership, school leadership, independent schools, private schools, girls, teens, women, academic success, social-emotional learning, resilience, well-being, future of education, university preparation, women in leadership

As we kick off Reunion Week, we’re delighted to bring you a special conversation with two trailblazers from the Class of 2011: Bertilia Trieu and Jie Ying Wu.

Fifteen years ago, they were classmates in Higher Level Math and leaders in the Branksome community. Today, they are both pioneers in the medical field—but neither took the traditional path of a clinician. Instead, they are driving healthcare forward through innovation, research and data—Bertilia as Manager of Outcomes and Data Analytics at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and Jie Ying as Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville—proving that the "Branksome way" is about far more than just following a script; it’s about writing a new one.

Join us for this special Reunion episode as we discuss:

• The Non-Linear Path: How the IB curriculum gave Bertilia and Jie Ying the courage to pursue "unconventional" STEM careers in data analytics and machine learning.
• From the Orchestra to the Lab: Memories of Residence life, the World Affairs Conference and orchestra rehearsals, and how those early leadership roles translated to the professional world.
• Surgical Innovations: A look at how Jie Ying is turning robots into "intelligent assistants" and how Bertilia uses data to redefine patient outcomes.
• Coming Home: What "Keeping Well the Road" means to them 15 years later as they prepare to reconnect with classmates at Reunion.

Whether you’re a current student curious about the future of healthcare or a fellow alum, this episode is a celebration of the shared roots and different paths that define our community.

Welcome home, Bertilia and Jie Ying, and the Class of 2011!

Follow us on Instagram at @principalEDpod and listen to the PrincipalED podcast Spotify playlist at bit.ly/PrincipalED.

Follow and subscribe to the Branksome Hall YouTube channel, where you can see the video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@branksomehall.

The PrincipalED podcast is produced by Branksome Hall, Toronto's leading independent International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for girls. branksome.on.ca

Episode keywords: Women in STEM, Surgical Robotics, Data Analysis, Machine Learning, Patient Outcomes, Healthcare Innovation, Vanderbilt University

Show keywords: Branksome Hall, Grace McCallum, podcast, education, girls’ education, leadership, school leadership, independent schools, private schools, girls, teens, women, academic success, social-emotional learning, resilience, well-being, future of education, university preparation, women in leadership