Neilson Leads Extraordinary Life Outside of Classroom

By: Khaleeda Dawood

April 4, 2022

While the average adult may have spent their childhood summers watching their favorite television show and binging on sweets, Thomasa Nielsen spent hers buried in encyclopedias and dictionaries. And while the average child may have a dog or cat, Neilsen had five monkeys, all of which she considered part of her family. Nothing about Neilsen seems “average” as she’s always had a creative mindset, which was continually shaped through her erratic childhood.

Neilsen laughs and makes jokes as she tells me about her childhood, smiling so bright that it illuminates through her maroon N92 mask.

Neilsen chuckles when she begins to discuss her monkeys, who were all named after religious figures by her father. She had everything from iguanas, lizards to even turtles around the house. Her love for animals was so immense that she used to read the pet section in magazines every day and fantasize about what other pets she would have.

Being with all these animals helped her understand behavior. From a young age, she learned to interpret different patterns of body language, knowing when a monkey felt threatened and when to back off. Through animals, she learned to understand people.

Neilsen's father was an Episcopal priest who used to run youth programs for hundreds of kids and went across the country every year on trips. Neilsen says that there isn’t a single state she hasn’t visited.

Neilsen grew up in Colonie and is a Colonie High School graduate. She excelled through her four years at Colonie, tutoring students that were older than her, and running drawing classes for kids. Education was highly valued in her household, and to her it was natural.

Neilsen vivaciously laughs and says she would always get called a jock and brainiac. In her first year of high school, she tried out for the boys' junior volleyball team, and the next year she became captain of the team. During her time in varsity, New York State implemented a law stating that varsity was a contact sport and girls couldn't play on the team. Neilsen came together with a few friends and said she fought for her spot, involving the ACLU (American Civil Liberties); a group that provided lawyers to fight injustice. Because of this, the state education system changed its regulation, and at the time it was one of her greatest accomplishments. She was soon after selected for the suburban council all-star team, of which12 people were selected.

Neilsen said she went on to study law after graduating from Colonie but shortly realized that it wasn't for her. This reinforced her lingering idea of becoming a teacher, so she went on to study education. Neilsen now has undergraduate degrees in art and English, with double minors in art history and psychology, as well as a master's degree in English education.

At the end of the day, making a difference and helping others is all she truly wants to do, and her job as a teacher has given her the perfect opportunity to do so.

“Our life is finite and when it is all said and done we are left with the things we did in our life,” says Neilsen.

Neilsen enjoys connecting with students and seeing them start to question ideas. She says that “Whenever somebody starts to get a new idea and they understand it, that's like magic, and I really really love that.”

Neilsen’s resilience goes farther than teaching. As a mother, she sees the significance of instilling positive values onto her children. After her husband passed away, she made the best of the hardship and helped her children cope and become better versions of themselves. Although it was a difficult time to withstand, she says it made both her and her children become the strong individuals they are now.

Neilsen states the importance of keeping oneself mentally healthy, and to her, she does so through art. She says “Creating for me is like breathing, and if I don’t get to create I kinda feel like I'm gasping for air.” Art to her is medicine and has been for almost her entire life.

Neilsen finds that she functions best when she sets little goals for herself. Since doing this she noticed daily migraines went away, especially when she kept herself working on something.

Outside of teaching her students, Neilsen also mentors new/training teachers. Monica Hughes, one of her mentees commented that she is regularly astonished by Neilsens' broad range of knowledge, saying that “the breadth of her knowledge is truly impressive.”

“I have met many art teachers but Neilsen strikes me as unique since she is very serious about what she does, she brings this calm, focused, and serious attitude that I really appreciate,” says Hughes.

Christine Festin, a co-worker of Neilsen's that has worked with her for 17 years, described Neilsen as knowledgeable and hardworking, saying that “She puts in everything for her teaching job.”

Although her story started here at Colonie, Neilsen’s background is unlike many of ours. Whether she is teaching, coaching, painting, or reading an encyclopedia, Neilsen will always put her energy into the things she loves, as this is how she thrives the most.