Noyce Scholar Profile
Paula Aguirre
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 4-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Texas at Dallas
Current academic or teaching status:
Junior
School and school district:
Summer experience: TexPREP (Texas Prefreshmen Engineering Program)
Background:
Originally, I wanted to be in the law enforcement field. I never thought of teaching because I didn’t think that I could do it. Ever since I joined the UTeach program I have realized that I want to teach, and that I enjoy teaching others and helping them learn. I get great satisfaction from this.
Why do you want to teach:
I worked as a tutor in the A.V.I.D. program, helping students with math questions all day long. There I realized that I loved to help others and teach them math! The students would give me motivating feedback, telling me that they liked the way I taught better than the way they learned in class. They were my biggest encouragement and motivation towards choosing this career!
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
This summer I was a Program Assistant for TexPREP (Texas Prefreshmen Engineering Program), working with Year Three students. I got to experience the work that teachers do besides teaching. I graded all the students’ work and recorded their grades, and also helped answer students’ questions on work. The best part was teaching the class a lesson on sequences and series. It went great! I felt great! The students’ feedback and encouragement made me feel wonderful about teaching.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has aided me in making sure that I have enough money to pay for school without taking out loans or taking time off school to work and save money to pay for school.
