Bridges is delighted to welcome Amanda Hiland to our team this fall! Amanda brings with her a lifelong love of writing, a passion for the stars, and years of experience working alongside students with learning differences. Her story shows how early friendships, creativity, and curiosity led her to a career dedicated to helping every student shine.
Growing Up with Big Ideas
Amanda was born in Ohio, but her parents’ desire to raise their growing family surrounded by nature and family-friendly communities landed them in Sherwood, Oregon when Amanda was six. She still remembers the adventure of living in a trailer with her parents, younger sister, and multiple cats while they waited for the keys to their new home.
As a child, Amanda’s imagination was unstoppable. She filled college-ruled notebooks with stories and poems, and was first published in her middle school’s literary magazine. But one of her earliest achievements came as a 4th grader, when she noticed that her friend and other students in the special education program spent recess alone inside their classroom, instead of playing outside with the rest of the kids. To change this, Amanda established a peer mentoring program to allow general and special education students to connect and move beyond the “stigma” of special education. “I partnered with the special education teacher and the administration to make this a reality for our school,” she recalls. “We did classroom visits to get kids interested in becoming peer mentors.” What began in one classroom eventually grew into a district-wide initiative. That early experience sparked her lifelong commitment to special education.
At Sherwood High School, Amanda’s love for language arts flourished. She thrived in AP English, History, Anthropology, and Spanish classes. Another highlight was attending the annual Oregon Writers Festival, where her creative voice found new audiences. Soccer kept her active, and camping trips with her family nurtured her love of nature. Evenings under the stars with her dad deepened her passion for astronomy—a father-daughter tradition that continues to this day.
Continuing Her Journey at Linfield
Choosing Linfield University was an easy decision since many of Amanda’s favorite high school teachers had studied there, and its strong education and creative writing programs felt like a perfect match. “I knew I wanted to become a teacher from the start. I asked myself what I was good at and enjoyed doing. Teaching and working with children met both requirements!” At first she commuted from home, but moving into the dorms in her second year opened the door to lifelong friendships and stronger connections with the campus community.
Amanda immersed herself in classroom internships in McMinnville schools, gaining experience in both general and special education settings. “Being in the classroom felt right. It felt natural,” she recalls. At the same time, her creative writing professors encouraged her to submit her poetry to national and international literary magazines. In the years since then, she has been honored with many publications.
Stars, Stories, and Graduate School
After graduating from Linfield in 2013, Amanda worked as a caregiver for dementia patients at an assisted living facility in Sherwood. Balancing hard work with annual astronomy trips with her dad to the Oregon Star Party, Amanda saved enough money to start her Masters Program. She began her Master’s in Special Education at Western Oregon University before transferring to Portland State University. She completed her degree in 2019 while also working as a para-professional in the Sherwood school district. Under the mentorship of teacher Windi Struck, Amanda grew her special education teaching skills and confidence, while also serving as the district coordinator for the Oregon Writers Festival.
Teaching from the Heart
Amanda’s teaching journey has taken her to multiple schools and age groups: Whitman Elementary in Portland, Sue Buel Elementary in McMinnville, and most recently, Portland Jewish Academy, where she worked as a middle school learning specialist. Whether helping kindergarteners learn to read, supporting older students with math, or creating small-group spaces where kids can thrive, Amanda has always brought patience, creativity, and dedication to her classrooms.
Why Bridges?
While working at Portland Jewish Academy, Amanda learned about Bridges from families considering it for their children. “I was impressed that there was an entire school dedicated to supporting kids with learning differences,” she says. “In public schools, special education students are often othered. I liked the idea of working at a school where all the kids are everybody’s kids.”
Looking Ahead
Amanda is eager to meet her students and discover their interests, strengths, and dreams. She’s also excited to share her own passions through exploratories—whether that’s origami, astronomy, creative writing, or outdoor adventures.
Life Beyond the Classroom
When she isn’t teaching, Amanda can often be found stargazing with her dad, writing poetry (her first chapbook, de / extinction, is in progress), or exploring the outdoors with her girlfriend, Audryana. The two share a passion for teaching, crafting, and collecting cool rocks. At home, Amanda shares her days with a mischievous cat named Nutmeg and an excitable bull terrier called Zero, whose antics always keep her amused.