Samuel Baudinette (he/him) graduated with a PhD in religious studies and theology from the University of Chicago, and is currently a candidate in the scholar’s program at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Sam has lived in the South Side of Chicago since 2016 and is passionate about teaching literacy and critical thinking so that young students can discover how to interpret and transform the world they live in, as well as narrate their own personal and collective stories. Committed to the view that the classroom can be both a pedagogic and a therapeutic space, Sam works to foster the creative imagination of his students by attending to the way that our emotions and our bodies inform the way we learn. Sam began volunteering with SitStayRead as a Book Buddy in 2025 and is excited to work in the 2025-2026 school year as a Program Lead at St. Ethelreda’s School in the Auburn Gresham community.
