Noyce Scholar Profile
Alex Quyen Vo
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.A., Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 7-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Texas at Arlington, UTeach
Current academic or teaching status:
Graduated in 2017
School and school district:
None
Background:
I was born and raised in Vietnam and then moved to the US in October 2007. In 2014, I studied in Yamagata, Japan. It was one of the best decisions I have made because I learned so many things from the Japanese and other international friends when I was there. Summer 2016 was special because I was an intern for NASA and specifically for the Sofia Project. Thanks to this wonderful opportunity, I went to New Zealand, learned about a new culture, drove on the "wrong" side of the road, and met new people with the NASA staff.
Why do you want to teach:
It's always been a good feeling when I helped others learn. I still remember the last week of my student teaching. I had to observe many teachers to learn about their methods in conducting classes. It was good to learn but at the same time, I was anxious to teach the students. I was so thankful when my mentor teacher let me teach on the last day of my student teaching. It felt really, really, really good to be there helping students learn!
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
There was a student in one of the classes who I taught as a student teacher who often came to class with no backpack or materials to take notes. When he did his homework or took a quiz or test, he rarely showed his work even though the paper said "show your work for full credit." I knew he was a bright student because he often had the correct answers for questions I asked in class. Many times I had to ask him to let his friends have a chance to give an answer. Anyway, I continued to tell him "show your work to get full credit," but he didn't do it. Finally one day I gave him a sheet of paper with a pencil and once again asked him to show his work, please. He did...not everything, just a little bit. It made my day!
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce Program helped me a lot. Going through college supported by a part-time job was not good. Also, thanks to the Noyce scholarship, I was able to get an internship with NASA through the STAR Program that gives students a chance to work in a research environment.
