By D. Alexandra Naulanini-Figueroa

Standing in a freezing cold street corner, Joseph Killian tried to help direct the craze after the final school bell. With hordes of excited children and incoming traffic, the end of Killian’s workday is always stressful. Killian, 26, has worked for three years as an 8th-grade math teacher at Roxbury Prep Charter School.

“The traffic is really bad. This road with buses on it is kind of dangerous,” he said, pointing at Fisher Street, the narrow road in front of his school.

Killian lives in Roslindale, which makes for a short commute to Roxbury Prep. He does not specifically love working in the small neighborhood Mission Hill or in the larger area of Roxbury. But he likes working in Boston and believes in the mission of the school, which is part of the Uncommon Schools charter network.

Over the course of his time at Mission Hill, Killian considers new building constructing to be “the biggest visible change.” But he is not worries about the future of the neighborhood.

The biggest challenge he sees for Roxbury Prep is accessibility.

“It’s a hard school to access,” Killian said. “A lot of student have to take the T to get to their homes, which I know is it would be better if students were just able to walk to school.”

About this project

The Scope’s student journalists spoke with community members in Mission Hill. #MissionHill100 is a collection of their stories.