Alumni Spotlight: A Path Guided by Faith

“Without The Christ School, there would be no TCS-to-Johns-Hopkins story.”

For Kevin Mallary, TCS Class of 2003, some of the most meaningful lessons he learned at The Christ School did not come from a textbook.

They came through teachers who took the time to know him, encouraged him when he struggled, and showed him grace when he needed it most.

More than 20 years later, those lessons are still shaping the way Kevin lives, teaches, and serves others.

“I absolutely loved my time at The Christ School,” Kevin shared. “I think about it often.”

Kevin attended TCS for middle school after previously attending public school. He says the transition completely changed the way he viewed education.

“When I went to The Christ School, it really changed my perception of what education should be,” Kevin said. “It’s really about educating the whole child, the whole student.”

For Kevin, who is profoundly deaf and legally blind, that individualized approach to education was especially meaningful. At TCS, he found teachers who took the time to understand how he learned, meet him where he was, and help him succeed. Years later, those experiences would take on even greater significance as Kevin built a career centered around accessibility and creating more inclusive learning experiences for others.

A Place to Belong

When Kevin looks back at his time at TCS, it is the people who stand out most. He remembers teachers who made lessons relevant, gave him another opportunity when something did not click, and even spent lunch periods helping him work through challenging material.

“Those simple acts of kindness instilled in me the value of the power of grace and mercy,” Kevin said.

That individualized attention made Kevin feel known and supported, something he believes sets TCS apart.

“At The Christ School, it is what makes that experience so unique and precious.”

Kevin could not have known then just how much that approach to education would influence his future.

A Path He Never Planned

After TCS, Kevin attended Edgewater High School, where a serious illness caused him to spend much of his high school experience in and out of the hospital and receiving homebound education. It was a difficult season that tested his faith, but it also became the beginning of an unexpected journey.

A guidance counselor encouraged Kevin to consider Wake Forest University, where he went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in communication. Along the way, professors began telling Kevin they believed he was meant to teach.

Kevin wasn't so sure.

The idea of standing in front of a classroom initially seemed daunting. But when his master's program required him to serve as a teaching assistant, Kevin discovered something he never expected: he loved it.

After teaching his first class, Kevin remembers being genuinely surprised by how much he enjoyed the experience. The professors who had encouraged him toward teaching had recognized something in him that he hadn't yet seen in himself.

His interests also began to come together. His master's thesis focused on web accessibility for users with disabilities, and after spending time working outside the classroom, Kevin realized how much he missed teaching. He returned to higher education and eventually earned his Ph.D. in communication and information science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a concentration in educational psychology.

That path led him to a tenure-track assistant professor position at Old Dominion University. Kevin had reached a place of stability in his career when another unexpected opportunity arrived.

A former mentor approached him about joining Kennedy Krieger Institute, a pediatric research hospital serving children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The position would allow Kevin to work remotely, develop learning experiences for healthcare providers, conduct research in an area deeply connected to his own experiences and expertise, and eventually bring together his interests in disability, accessibility, technology, and education.

It seemed almost perfectly suited for him.

And Kevin turned it down.

He did not want to leave a secure position simply because another opportunity looked good. Instead, he wanted to be certain that the decision aligned with God's plan for both him and his wife, Hope.

“I want to make sure that I'm trusting in what Your will is for me and Hope,” Kevin remembered praying.

The mentor who offered him the position encouraged him to reconsider, telling Kevin that he believed this was work God had been preparing him to do. Kevin continued praying, asking God for clarity, and eventually he and Hope made the decision to step out in faith.

Looking back, Kevin can see how beautifully the pieces came together.

The opportunity allowed Kevin and Hope to move closer to both of their families. It gave him the flexibility to work remotely and remain deeply involved in his church and ministry with his family. Professionally, it brought together years of seemingly separate experiences and interests into work centered on accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Then another piece fell into place.

Through Kennedy Krieger's affiliation with Johns Hopkins University, Kevin now also serves in a courtesy role as an Assistant Professor of Learning Design & Technology in the Johns Hopkins School of Education. There, he teaches in a master's program in Learning Design and Technology where he can bring together the very areas he had spent years studying, researching, and experiencing personally.

What once looked like a winding path had led Kevin to work that seemed uniquely designed for the person God had shaped him to be.

“God has laid every single step,” Kevin said. “It is tremendous, truly miraculous.”

Paying It Forward

There is a powerful full-circle connection between the student Kevin was at TCS and the educator he is today.

He remembers what it felt like to have teachers recognize when he needed a different explanation, another opportunity, or simply more patience. Now, when one of his own students struggles, Kevin tries to extend that same grace.

“What can we do differently to help you?” he asks.

“I've learned to demonstrate that same grace, that same mercy, and to really pay it forward,” Kevin said.

For Kevin, that philosophy goes beyond academics. His Christian faith remains at the center of how he approaches his work, relationships, and decisions.

While teaching at a university, Kevin once had a student approach him nervously about using a Bible during a class presentation to share about his Christian faith. Kevin encouraged him to be bold.

“Don't be afraid,” Kevin told him. “People need to hear the truth.”

The student went on to give the presentation, and Kevin reminded him afterward that his willingness to share his faith may have reached someone in the room who needed to hear it.

It is a lesson Kevin traces back to the culture he experienced at TCS.

Kevin believes the Christian foundation he experienced at TCS was about more than simply learning God's Word. It was about living it out through the way students were taught to serve and care for others.

“When you have a culture that is grounded in God's Word, really putting things into action, that's key,” Kevin said.

A Foundation That Lasts

Today, Kevin is married to his wife, Hope, and remains actively involved in his church while pursuing a career that brings together so many pieces of his journey.

And when he looks back at how he arrived here, he has no hesitation about the role The Christ School played.

“If it was not for The Christ School, I would not have made it as far as I did,” Kevin said.

Then he put it even more simply:

“Without The Christ School, there would be no TCS-to-Johns-Hopkins story.”

As The Christ School celebrates 30 years, Kevin's story is a reminder that the impact of a TCS education extends far beyond a student's years on campus. The grace Kevin received became grace he now extends to his own students. The individualized attention that helped him learn became a passion for creating more accessible learning experiences for others. And the faith nurtured during his time at TCS continues to guide the way he lives and serves today.

His advice to current TCS students is simple: keep learning, trust the people who love you, and continue turning to God's Word through every season.

“Keep learning, keep growing, keep trusting your loved ones, keep relying on Scripture,” Kevin said.