After nearly 17 years at the school, Director of Global Education and Round Square representative Karina Baum left in November 2025. She is stepping into a new role as the director of global learning in the Teaching and Learning Department for the Boston Public Schools (BPS).
Dr. Baum joined the Upper School (US) in 2009 as a biology teacher while leading science travel programs and teaching a Global Online Academy course. After seven years, she became the director of global education, designing intercultural learning programming across the school’s three campuses.
In her role, Dr. Baum led the school’s participation in Round Square, an international community of more than 280 schools across the world. Round Square’s yearly conferences center on their IDEALS of internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, adventure, learning and service.
US Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global Education (DEIG) Officer Leila Bailey-Stewart worked closely with Dr. Baum.
“Dr. Baum believed strongly in the power of curiosity,” Ms. Bailey-Stewart said. “She leveraged that foundation to support and coach students to be critical and globally informed thinkers.”
Round Square Club Co-President Viena Desai ’26 spent time with Dr. Baum in school and on school trips.
“We all went on a hike in Colombia for Round Square, and it was pretty challenging, but that was the moment where I took her out of the school context, and I was really able to get to know her as a person,” she said. “That’s a moment where I felt like I was growing a lot closer to her. Being able to talk to her and see her in this new context created that great relationship, and that’s super special for a club to have.”
Kaden Foster ’28 joined Round Square this year and attended its Dubai conference with Dr. Baum.
“Dr. Baum made me feel very welcome and included. She had such excitement for the trip and was able to answer any question or concern I had. Whether it was greeting me in the hallways, making sure I was managing the increased workload or checking in about my day, she always made me feel supported and valued as a student.”
Dr. Baum welcomed challenging discussions with students.
“Some of my most meaningful memories are conversations with students, often before and after travel or during moments when global issues felt personal and complicated,” she said. “I think of students sitting with big questions about identity, responsibility and their place in the world and being willing to stay in that discomfort long enough to grow.”
She hopes to have left an impact on US students.
“I have deep confidence in who the students are, in the values they carry and in the ways they show up in the world,” she said. “I know that the global education program helped nurture their curiosity and their understanding that they have a role to play in contributing to positive change. I hope they develop to be adaptable, flexible and prepared for the unknown with the confidence to ask questions and explore solutions thoughtfully.”
Dr. Baum said her work emphasized openness to differing perspectives.
“I hope we’ve shifted some of our focus toward understanding challenges deeply and identifying root causes, rather than rushing to solutions or deliverables, and that student projects incorporate multiple voices and stakeholders.”
At BPS, Dr. Baum will support educators across the district in integrating global learning into the curriculum, strengthening teacher professional development and advancing international student travel and K-12 world language learning. She said her work will continue to be grounded in equity and culturally sustaining practices with a focus on creating meaningful local and global learning opportunities for all students.
