Mentors Matter: BT Lessons that Becky Perlow ’06 Carries with Her as She Travels the World

1/17/2019

Milena Rodban '04

MR: Could you share the story of a BT teacher who was central to your experience at the school?

BP: Twenty five years ago, as I prepared to leave behind the naptime mats and finger paints of kindergarten, my mom pulled me aside one day to tell me some news: I would not be heading with my friend Vicki Roffe or following my childhood crush Seth Herman to 1^st grade. Instead, my parents were placing me in something called “Pre-1^st.”

“It’s so unfair!” I remember telling my mother. In an instant, gone were my dreams of trading in my communal kindergarten table for the much-esteemed 1^st grade desk. Little did I know, though, the effect that this one year would have on my entire life.

Susan Yurow was new at Beth Tfiloh, and hadn’t yet made her mark on the BT community. But it didn’t take long for anyone and everyone who worked with her -- or learned from her -- to fall in love. Very quickly, she became my favorite teacher of all time. She always had the brightest smile on her face and the warmest hug to give when we entered her class each morning, and the kindest words to tell us as we waved goodbye each day. She taught us in a way that never made it feel like learning, and always made each student feel special and unique. Whether it was attending the Mother’s Day Tea Party or being featured as Star of the Week, whether it was the trip to the zoo or taking care of our own zoo of classroom animals, Mrs. Yurow always kept us on our toes and encouraged us to discover the best in ourselves.

So for every year of school (until I left BT after 11^th grade to volunteer in Israel), I always made a point of stopping by Mrs. Yurow’s office on the first day of school – a yearly hug and a friendly face always made that first day after summer break less daunting, and as I grew older, our relationship grew from teacher and student… to very good friends.

Even now, I always stop by Mrs. Yurow’s office when I’m in the building to say hello and catch up, and, of course, to get a great, big hug from the woman who helped mold me into who I am today. As you can imagine, I was devastated to learn that she will be leaving at the end of this school year, but even I have to smile knowing how many peoples’ lives she’s touched in her tenure at BT, and how lucky we all are to have called her a co-worker, teacher or friend.I tip my hat to you, Mrs. Yurow. You are truly one in a billion.

MR: Can you tell us a bit more about what you do at as a news producer, and how what you learned at BT helps you strive for excellence in your role?

BP: I never planned to work in the news industry, so when I switched majors the year before I was due to graduate Penn State in 2011, I was more than a little nervous as to what my future would hold. Seasoned journalists I spoke to waved me off – telling me to find another job because the days were long, the money was poor and the payoff was very rarely worth it. They warned me I would never have a social life, a partner, a family. Needless to say, I was worried; was this something I really wanted to do? Fast forward nearly 10 years later, and I can honestly say I’ve never worked a day in my life. After college, I found a home at CNN working on various shows for the network, and more recently, working as a field producer for ABC News national. I’ve had amazing mentors throughout my career that have shown me how to shoot film, ask intelligent questions in interviews and edit packages in a way that allows our audiences to connect to the story we’re trying to tell. I’ve covered presidential elections that remind me how lucky I am to live in a free country, wildfires that taught me how fleeting life is, and school shootings that broke me down to pieces… but also showed me the best of humanity.

But what makes me a good journalist? It’s not just lessons I learned from my professional mentors – it’s lessons I learned from teachers like Morah Friedman or Rebbe Finkelstein, who taught me what it means to be kind to others, to give someone a second chance, to live life to the fullest. To question things at face value – but also accept the things you cannot change. Lessons that some may take for granted, but ones that I learned through Jewish teachers at Beth Tfiloh. To this day, I will still contact some of these old teachers for personal or career advice, and they always answer my phone call or open their door to me, day or night.

MR: How do you stay connected with the BT community? What drives you to stay involved?

BP: Whenever I’m in town and able to, I pick up my niece Emma from school (She’s in the second grade [at BT] now). And while I adore my girl, I’m not ashamed to admit I show up an hour before she is let out of school, knowing full well I will wander the hallways of my youth, looking for old teachers to reconnect with. I always make Mrs. Yurow’s office my first stop, following by trips to Mr. Bruner or Mrs. Allen in the high school, Mrs. Daly in the middle school, or Joyce Lamptey in the lower school. I always love checking in with these wonderful people and hearing about their latest class of students or fondly reminiscing about our own memories together (Yes, Mr. Bruner: I will never forget that time I hid under the teacher’s desk from embarrassment during one particularly painful English class).

MR: What would you tell BT students and alumni who want to pursue a career in journalism?

BP: Being a journalist is the best job in the world, not least of which because every day is different and exciting. In its most simple form, though, being a journalist is being human – connecting with people on the most basic level, and asking them to trust you: not only to hear their story, but to take it and share it with the world. Like any rewarding job, you’re going to have some hard days that make you cry yourself to sleep, make you question your life choices and make you wonder why bad things happen to good people – but that’s all a part of being human anyway, right? I promise you though, you are going to have many more days that teach you about the goodness of people, the kindness of strangers and the love man has for his fellow human being.

In fact, one of my goals in life is to see every country (I’ve been to 42 and counting), and several years ago, I stayed with a local family in Mongolia for a few days during a two-week trip there. And while unfortunately neither of us spoke each other’s languages, we found ways to communicate and learn about each other. Perhaps most notably though, we bonded over our shared love of making bread - they showed me how to make their traditional bread, and I showed them how to make Challah. It was a simple, beautiful moment as I showed them how to braid the dough, and to this day, I still remember their smiles after seeing the finished product. I can’t thank people like Morah Friedman enough for teaching me the simple act of braiding and baking challah, as it truly has allowed me to connect with people all over the world.

Never forget your humanity – and you’ll no doubt be a great journalist.

MR: Could you share a memorable anecdote that BT alumni would appreciate?

BP: When I was set to graduate Penn State in 2011, Wolf Blitzer was scheduled to be the commencement speaker at the university’s College of Communication ceremony. The big name in news encouraged many students to actually show up for the ceremony, and in a crowd of thousands, how was my family supposed to spot me? So I decided to decorate my graduation cap, and instead of writing “Thanks Mom and Dad,” I decorated it with silver pipe cleaners and blue glitter, writing “Hire Me Blitzer” in fake gemstones. For safety, I purchased a second cap and wore that to graduation in case some of my teachers didn’t find my decorative one as amusing as I did. But once safely in my seat, I swapped out the plain-Jane Navy hat for my new and improved glittery one. And while some of my classmates laughed and complimented me on my creativity, a few of my professors were not as amused.

But once on stage with my fellow classmates, there was little my mentors could do as I approached the face of CNN, tipping my cap as I made my way slowly forward. “Sir, I made this hat for you,” I said smiling, reaching out to shake his hand. Wolf burst out laughing and thanked me for the gesture, before saying goodbye and turning to the next student’s outstretched hand. Before I got too far down the stage though, he asked me my name. I quickly told him and continued on to exit stage right.

Upon returning to my seat, I realized I should have given him my business card – how often do you get face time with a journalist like Wolf?! So I quickly wrote down my contact information and sent it up with a friend who hadn’t gone up on stage yet.

My family and friends all figured it would make a funny story to tell for years to come… until two days later, when Wolf emailed me personally. We corresponded for the next several weeks via email and phone calls, and he eventually introduced me to the hiring manager at the CNN Washington bureau, who I frequently sought out over the course of a month until he agreed to meet me over coffee. And while they didn’t have an opening at the time, I got my foot in the door and made enough of an impression that when something did open a few months later, I was fortunate enough to be given a shot at one of the best news agencies in the world.

I am also the luckiest person to have worked with the best in the business, both at CNN and ABC – the best people, the best teams, the best mentors.Did I mention I have the best job in the world?

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Mentors Matter: BT Lessons that Becky Perlow ’06 Carries with Her as She Travels the World

Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School