NSU Education Graduates Walk “Path” Together

NSU Education Graduates Walk Path Together

TAHLEQUAHIt could have been the same scenario 100 years ago. A group of graduates assemble on the front lawn of Seminary Hall to celebrate their achievements before life paths lead them in different directions.

On May 20, a group of five education graduate students and their faculty mentor locked arms and made a Centennial walk from Seminary Hall to the Centennial Plaza in full academic regalia, 100 years after Northeastern Normal School was born.

This was totally student driven, said Dr. Renée Cambiano, associate professor of educational foundations and leadership in the College of Education. Graduates from the masters of education in teaching program decided to have a final get together Wednesday night at Centennial Plaza. The event brought the students together one last time before they go their separate ways.

Almost half of the 11 students were able to join their peers, family members and faculty mentor for an evening of food, photo opportunities, video recording and plenty of great conversation. According to Cambiano, these students were enrolled in a capstone course that had been taught on an individual basis until this spring.

This was the very first time I had the students meet as a unit, she said.

Of the 11 students in the course, most were working in the teaching field while completing a masters, said Cambiano. Nine are teaching in common education and two are in higher education.

The students took the course on the Tahlequah campus, but half of the group graduated in Broken Arrow and the other half in Tahlequah. The students wanted to have this celebration to share in their achievements and come together one last time, said Cambiano.

The group of students embraced the history of the university, said Cambiano.

They truly reflect what the university is about, she said. These individuals will be able to develop the best teacher they can be. They are the Centennial class and what was this university founded onteachers.

Justin Yates, graduate assistant for the Oklahoma Institute of Learning Styles and one of the two males in the class, said he has a job offer and two more interviews lined up. He taught English and advised the student newspaper at Union High School before deciding to work on his masters full time.

I want to teach in higher education, said Yates.

Lara Searcy teaches English at Tahlequah High School. She said the capstone class made her a better teacher, a master teacher.

I am able to bring more learning styles plus more interactive and collaborative games into my classroom, said Searcy. I also have a better rapport with my students.

Seque Grant, English and Spanish teacher at Hulbert High School, plans to leave the state and travel to a remote fishing village in Alaska to teach. She will arrive in Oscarville, Alaska, this summer and prepare to teach all courses as a secondary generalist at the school.

I am ready for this adventure, she said. This class has helped me in so many ways. It has taught me how to work with students on different levels. I will be teaching all subjects to my nine secondary students.

Grant will learn to travel by boat or snow mobile, depending on the time of the year, if she travels beyond the village she will reside in with the other 62 residents.

The stars were aligned. This is a Centennial year, she said.

Cambiano agreed.

This was the most special group of students I have ever had, she said. They learned from each other. They will leave a legacy.

5/29/2009

Published: 2009-05-29 00:00:00