I first heard about the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) through my involvement in the Achieving College Excellence and Success (ACES) program, while attending John F. Kennedy High School. Then, while attending Montgomery College (MC), I became even more aware of USG after paying a visit to USG for one of their open houses. I immediately fell in love with the campus!
I graduated with my Associate of Arts in Teaching from MC and decided to apply to Towson University because it was known for having one of the best teaching programs. Towson University offers two undergraduate-level teaching programs at USG, and I chose to pursue their Elementary/Special Education dual certification. I selected USG as my campus because I wanted to stay close to home and I thought I’d benefit from the small class sizes.
During my first semester at USG, I joined the USG student ambassador program. Becoming an ambassador helped me come out of my shell and build my leadership and teamwork skills — something that will definitely serve me well in my future career. In my second semester at USG, I joined the Student Advisory Board. This organization made me feel heard and involved within the USG community, and it helped to shape me professionally, and also made me a better communicator.
During my junior year, I completed my Early Field Experience with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), which involved taking control over teaching lessons for grades K-5, and focused on how to develop effective lesson plans for each subject taught. On the special education side, we worked on big projects that included developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP), utilizing a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) technology, performing behavior assessments, and so much more. During my senior year, I gained experience by completing a student teaching internship, also with MCPS. Interns in this program do a 10-day routine of taking full control of instruction and management of a classroom assigned to them. We get the opportunity to be involved in seeing the inside of what goes on daily as general education and special education teachers. Additionally, we are able to put into practice what we have learned and how to apply it in the context of working with the group of students assigned to our case.
I graduated from my program in May 2023 and I'm thrilled to have recently accepted an offer to teach first grade at Glen Haven Elementary in the MCPS district. Teaching is a profession that involves passion and dedication, and I plan on furthering my career and getting my master’s in educational leadership. I would also like to eventually experience administration, and furthermore, become a principal one day.