Academic

of her birth in New York City. But her early life
experience skews decidedly offshore.
When she was only a few months old, her
family moved from New York to Belgium where
they lived for several years, which probably
explains why French is her first language. But
then she and her family moved to Africa and lived
in Ivory Coast, South Africa and the Democratic
Republic of Congo for a number of years while
frequently traveling back and forth to Europe.
Mayilukila said that as she was growing up
and going through school, she always thought
that for a professional career, she’d love to be a
professional translator, which would allow her to
utilize her native cultural language of French and
African dialects. “But after becoming a mother,”
she said, “I realized that teaching was becoming
part of my heart and I knew that’s where I really
belonged.”
Mayilukila has been part of GPA’s academic
staff only since 2013. But her background in
progressive education goes back much further.
“Prior to coming to GPA, I worked as a lead
teacher for three years at the Schoolhouse
Montessori Academy in Troy,” she said. Before
that, she said she worked in two other schools,
Montessori Children’s Academy in Saint Clair,
Mich., and Montessori Stepping Stones in Mt.
Clemens, Mich., both well-regarded purveyors
of Maria Montessori’s innovative teaching
method. Mayilukila also completed an 18-month
Montessori teaching internship leading up to her
role as a full-time teacher.
addition to the Montessori Early School,” Kendall
said. “Her peaceful classroom is a joy to enter and
her students always have smiles on their faces as
they engage in their activities.”
It is obvious that Mayilukila is herself
engaged in her work. She appears to be the living
embodiment of the GPA mission and uses it as the
basis for everything she does on campus.
“My main goal every school day is to nurture
each student and instill the love of learning
through our Montessori-structured developmental
classrooms,” she said.
And even though she’s finishing up just her
second year at GPA, Mayilukila can already see the
profound transformations that children undergo
after just a short amount of time in the Early
School.
“I am privileged to be part of such beautiful
changes I see in my students even from the
beginning of one year to its end. These children
are among my most treasured blessings.”
A BIG FAN
When first arriving at The Grosse Pointe
Academy two years ago, Mayilukila was
immediately a big fan of the school. “It became
clear to me from the beginning that this was a
special place,” she said. “I recognized and truly
admired the ‘heart’ of the faculty here as well as of
the students and their families.”
Jennifer Kendall is assistant head of school
for early school education and admissions at
the Academy and an unabashed member of the
Mayilukila fan club. “Cindy has been a natural
THE GROSSE POINTE ACADEMY / FALL 2015 35