While in college, Torrence Rothmiller believed his dream job was working in sports journalism as a radio producer at WIP.

He earned that very job a few years after graduating college; however, he came to learn that it was actually the stopgap position as a teacher that he earned immediately after graduating from Temple University that was actually his dream, writes Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“I started to fall in love with teaching, seeing the light go off with children, building relationships with them,” Rothmiller said.

After a stint working days in the classroom and nights at the studio, Rothmiller decided to quit the radio gig and work as an educator full-time.

It has been 17 years, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Rothmiller is now the principal of Andrew Hamilton Elementary School in West Philadelphia.

He credits his Philly roots for helping him connect with students at each school he’s worked.

“I’ve been around all types of backgrounds,” he said. “I knew how to identify with them, and it made the job come naturally.”

That helped him navigate becoming a new principal during a pandemic and being named a 2024 Lindback Award winner as one of the region’s top district administrators.

Read more about how Torrance Rothmiller became one of the city’s top principals at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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