Neag Alumni Society Scholarship recipient, Lauren Nero, received her bachelor’s degree in education last spring, with a concentration in Secondary English. She’s currently a fifth-year student, working on her master’s degree in education. She recently reflected on the impact of the scholarship from the Neag Alumni Society.

Q: What did the Neag Alumni Scholarship mean to you?

A: It is truly an honor to be the recipient of the Neag Alumni Scholarship. As a future educator, I believe that it is important to give back to the community and this scholarship really fosters the concept of helping students of all ages.

Q: What are your plans for the scholarship?

A: I plan on using this scholarship to help pay for my fifth year in the Neag School, where I will be pursuing my master’s degree in education.

Q: How will the scholarship help you achieve your goals?

A: The Neag Alumni Scholarship has given me even more motivation to give my all to my graduate studies and my students. I realize that there were many other students who were eligible for this scholarship and I was fortunate enough to have been selected as the recipient. This scholarship will allow me to continue on with my ultimate goal of understanding the state of education today and it will also allow me to work with Neag faculty members to figure out how educators can help affect change in our community.

Q: Why do you want to be a teacher?

A: I want to be a teacher because this is where I believe I can make the greatest impact in my community. Education is the key to success and I want to help the youth of our state realize their own dreams and succeed in their own individual and unique ways. I truly have a passion for helping students to begin thinking critically about the world in which we live and further delve into thoughts on the human experience. A teacher is able to serve as a mentor, an investigator, a friend, and someone who can ignite passion to become a life long learner in his or her students

Thank you to all those who have supported students like Lauren. We greatly appreciate your support with helping our future educators! Do you want to make a difference? Please join us and make a gift today! Visit www.friends.uconn.edu/neagschool and selecting our newly created Neag Alumni Society Scholarship Fund.