Noyce Scholar Profile
Marcellin Mutuyimana
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: MAT Secondary Mathematics Education
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Georgia State University/Urban Mathematics Education Program
Current academic or teaching status:
First year
School and school district:
Teaching at Sutton Middle School, Atlanta Public Schools
Background:
I attended Wright State University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation, I worked for 4 years as volunteer tutoring and assisting low-income immigrant students of middle and high school age in Atlanta schools. I eventually went on to get my MAT in Mathematics Education.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach because it makes a tremendous difference in the lives of learners. I highly value education because as a former refugee from Africa I have evolved in conditions where good education was the only ladder that would move someone from nothingness to relevance. I have seen the importance of education at its best, and I want to help students to achieve at greater heights in life.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
During my student teaching/internship I worked with 10th and 11th graders for a year and had a wonderful time with them. I had several days of struggle because of students who really behaved inappropriately and made some of my days at school so challenging. At the end of my practicum, all my students came to me and prepared for me a small surprise party, and some of them almost cried. I was very moved when those students who gave me the hardest time thanked me for working with them, telling me that they had learned a lot from me, not only academically, but also in general. It was such a moving experience.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has been helpful in providing opportunities for professional development and in allowing me to network with seasoned teaching professionals. The professional and financial support that I have gained from the program definitely made a difference in my teaching responsibilities, especially considering my lack of expertise as a beginner in the profession.
