This year, Katina Ballantyne joined Castilleja as the new Upper School Dean of Students. Beyond overseeing student life, Ballantyne sat down with Counterpoint to discuss everything from her values as an educator to her love for metalsmithing, Hallmark Bingo and her five-month-old daughter.
A native of Houston, Texas, Ballantyne said her teachers growing up instilled confidence in her voice early on. She attended UT Austin and went on to receive her Master’s in Education at Johns Hopkins.
“When I was in college, I kind of always knew that I wanted to be a teacher and work in education,” Ballantyne said. Since then, she has taught a range of subjects under the social studies realm, including U.S. history, modern world history and criminal justice. “I loved being in the classroom, and that’s what made me stay on this path,” she said.
From directing the Peninsula Bridge summer program to working as a district-wide administrator in a public school district, Ballantyne joins the Castilleja community with a deep commitment to bridging different perspectives.
“Strong leadership really comes from listening and understanding the needs of others first and foremost,” she said. “There’s a difference between listening to understand and waiting to speak.”
But Ballantyne doesn’t plan on leading the Upper School student body alone. Instead, she emphasizes collaborative and informed decision-making. “There is so much power in collective genius,” she said. “Especially in this role, I have so much to learn from the folks who have been here, and the knowledge and context that they have.”
What remained clear throughout my interview with Ballantyne was her dedication to cultivating and nurturing relationships in her life: “That drives a lot of the work I do and the way that I show up with students, too.”
Although part of her role as Dean of Students involves discipline, Ballantyne strives to make sure that “students feel respected throughout the process,” prioritizing empathy and clear communication. Ultimately, she hopes to ensure that “every girl here feels seen, heard and understood.”
Beyond the Circle, Ballantyne emphasized how the glass ceiling has persisted even as women have driven meaningful progress over the past 50 years. “We are in a world where there are still many closed doors for women. But we are also used to hearing that women, especially young women, have to do everything and be everything.”
Thus, in the face of this double-edged sword, Ballantyne encourages us to focus on our internal locus of control. “This is why teenagers have been at the forefront of almost every social movement in the United States,” she said.
“There’s something so beautiful and powerful about the teenage years, and I’ve learned so much from my students, [especially] being able to find humor in the challenging times.”
As she steps into this new role, Ballantyne looks ahead with openness, compassion and a deep belief in the power of student voices.
