Neag Alumni Society Scholarship recipient, Colin Usher, is a current student in the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG). He recently reflected on the impact of the scholarship from the Neag Alumni Society.

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

The Neag Alumni Scholarship is very important to me because it is a scholarship for educators given by educators and it shows that the alumni see potential in me to become a great educator. There were many people who applied for this scholarship and all of them were deserving. The fact that I was chosen for this honor has been both humbling and inspiring.

Q: What are your plans for the scholarship?

The scholarship is going towards my tuition in graduate school.  I am leaving a professional career that I have had for the past 10 years to pursue my goal of becoming a teacher.  This scholarship is creating a smoother transition between the two.

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

The Neag Alumni Scholarship has put me in a position where I am able to further my education.  As we go through life we should always be looking for opportunities to improve and broaden ourselves.  Becoming an educator has always been something that I have had an interest in.  This scholarship has presented that opportunity of improvement to me. My main goal, once I complete my education, is to become a mathematics teacher in a high school.  There I hope to provide my students with a well-rounded education in order to help them and be ready for whatever life presents.

Q: Why do you want to be a teacher?

I want to be a teacher because I want to help my students be able to recognize their own abilities that exist within them.  My particular interest is to be a math teacher.  I have always enjoyed mathematics, and I feel that I can convey information with others in a way that they are able to understand.  The way I see math is not just the 2+2 part of it, but how it is integrated into everything in the world today.  It stretches from smartphones and tablets to a farmer planting crops, and from balancing a national budget to a young couple painting the walls of their first apartment together.  I believe that I can bring my enthusiasm for mathematics into a classroom in an interesting and entertaining way.  It is my goal to have students come out of their schooling with a greater understanding and appreciation for the subject as well as being prepared to achieve success in the world they live.

Thank you to all those who have supported students like Colin. 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 select our Neag Alumni Society Scholarship Fund. For more information, please contact Heather McDonald at hmcdonald@foundation.uconn.edu or (860) 486-4530.