WORCESTER — Dr. Kerry Mulcahy’s story with Worcester Public Schools comes full circle. She grew up in Worcester, attended the district as a student, and now she’s a WPS educator helping shape the next generation of students right where she started.
Dr. Mulcahy attended May Street Elementary School and Forest Grove Junior High School before graduating from Doherty Memorial High School, where she loved being part of student government.
“Being part of the student government gave me a voice,” she said. “It showed me that even as a student, you can make a difference.”
Dr. Kerry Mulcahy as a National Honor Society officer helping clean up Doherty Memorial High School. (Photo submitted)
Her love of learning and leadership earned her a scholarship to UMass Amherst and the Commonwealth Honors College, where she studied English and Political Science. She didn’t stop there. Dr. Mulcahy went on to earn a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration and a Doctorate in Urban Education Policy, all from UMass Amherst.
She returned to Worcester Public Schools as an educator, bringing all that knowledge and passion into her classroom. She has spent 21 years teaching 10th grade English in Doherty’s Engineering Academy, and since 2014, she has also worked with future educators in UMass’s Leadership in Urban Schools Department.
“I love helping students find their voice and confidence,” Mulcahy said. “That’s what keeps me going every day.”
Outside the classroom, Dr. Mulcahy is deeply committed to giving back. She serves on the Worcester Educational Development Foundation Board of Directors, helping organize the Distinguished Alumni Awards at Holy Cross each year. She has been involved with Coats for Kids, ensuring hundreds of WPS students get warm coats every winter, and she helps fund field trips, scholarships, and computers for students across the district.
Her community work doesn’t stop there. She serves on the Board of the Worcester Public Library and has helped run a toy drive at Doherty for 15 years with the Planting the Seed Foundation, making sure children—and high school students through gift cards—have something to celebrate during the holidays. Each February, she takes part in Go Red for Women with the American Heart Association, raising awareness about heart health, a cause she is especially passionate about in honor of her mother, a lifelong WPS first grade teacher who suffered a stroke in 2019.
Dr. Kerry Mulcahy (right) alongside her mother, Donna Mulcahy (left), who taught at Grafton Street School. (Photo submitted.)
Dr. Mulcahy’s classroom carries a simple, powerful message for her students: “Work hard and be kind to people.” And when things get tough, she keeps a favorite line from Taylor Swift close: “Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind, but I come back stronger than a ’90s trend.”
From student leader to lifelong educator and community advocate, Dr. Kerry Mulcahy’s story shows how one person’s love for their community can ripple outward, touching countless students, teachers, and families along the way.