Meet Boyertown Class of '95 Alum, Megan Bartlett, Our New Contributing Writer

A Boyertown Area Senior High (BASH) class of 1995 alum, Megan R. Bartlett moved to Bally, PA at the end of sixth grade. Her dad had received a call to be the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Niantic. So, along with her mom and younger brother, she set out to make the most of this move. 

She quickly made some friends at church and in town and then struggled with the usual woes of junior high during her time at Boyertown East. (Does anyone sail through those ‘tween years unscathed by disappointment, rejection, and low self-esteem?!) Thankfully, she survived junior high (and a job at Longacre’s Dairy!) with only the beginnings of a problem with emotional eating (which later turned into a full-blown eating disorder, years of recovery, and then a self-published memoir: Getting Out of B.E.D.: Overcoming Binge-Eating Disorder One Day at a Time).

Her saving grace in both junior high and at BASH was the music program. Playing flute and piccolo offered an opportunity to build deeper friendships and shore up her esteem. But it was when adding her alto voice to the full chorus of her classmates that she most often felt at home with herself. In the late 90s, as part of Gettysburg College’s Chapel Choir, she would come to recognize that “at home feeling” as the consoling presence of God.

Looking back, she can see God’s presence with her throughout her journey, nudging her to leave her post-Bachelor’s job in neuropsychology research and study Clinical-Counseling Psychology at LaSalle University, and then later calling her into deeper training at Neumann University where she received her certificate of advanced studies in Spiritual Formation and Direction. Now, as a licensed professional counselor and certified spiritual director, Megan can see and is grateful for the strong foundation provided by her parents, church, and many Boyertown area friends, teachers, and mentors.

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