Noyce Scholar Profile
Malika Onstad
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics and American Studies
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 6-12; General Science grades 6-9
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Pacific University
Current academic or teaching status:
5th Year Teaching Candidate/Student Teacher
School and school district:
Woodburn School District
Background:
I grew up in the Willamette Valley. I volunteered with six sessions of Outdoor School as a soil student leader. I attended Willamette University and majored in Mathematics and American Studies. I have always loved math and wanted to share that love with others and believe the best way to do that is through teaching.
Why do you want to teach:
I love math and am excited to share this love with others. I hope that I can show the wonders of math and how great it can be. I don’t want to hear “I hate math.” I want to find a way to help students with different learning styles understand math.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
When I was teaching Outdoor School and doing an experiment with students to help them understand, they were able to design the experiment and understand and discuss the results. It stands out in my mind because the students were able to engage in the scientific method on their own and worked together to do it.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has given me an opportunity to work with a diverse group of students and to stretch myself personally in order to grow so that I will be better prepared when I enter the teaching field to differentiate lessons for many students.
