Alyssa Tormala

About Alyssa Tormala

I am a lawyer-turned-educator who lives by the philosophy "What could you do if you knew you could not fail?"

I've been tackling new professional adventures throughout my career. It started as early as my first year of legal practice, when I took on coaching a high school mock trial team while still completely new to the practice of law. That program taught me how incredible it feels to see light bulbs go off over students' heads, to watch a team of disparate individuals come together for a common goal, and to feel the camaraderie of working with fellow educators. Switching from being an attorney to being a high school teacher was a huge leap, but one of the best decisions I ever made. It also taught me the importance of leaning into the discomfort of being a learner -- exactly what we ask students to do!

As a teacher, I redesigned academic programs, built new curriculum, and championed 1:1 technology programs, and ultimately led my school to become an Apple Distinguished School. As an instructional technology coach and vice principal of professional development and innovation, I designed outside-the-box professional development programs, championed instructional coaching experiences, managed transitions from in-person to digital and hybrid learning during COVID, and built collaborative processes and programs across the school. Throughout it all, I shared my journey and stories with the wider education audience through articles and presenting at major education conferences like ISTE and DLAC.

And I'm not done yet! In my current role as Head of School for Laurel Springs School, I have the enormous privilege of leading a global K-12 online school made up of incredible faculty and staff who live by the mission of empowering students to lead their own stories. I can't wait to share more about how online learning can open so many more doors for our 21st century students!