Noyce Scholar Profile
Kassandra Rodriguez
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.S., Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Texas at Arlington UTeach
Current academic or teaching status:
Senior
School and school district:
N/A
Background:
I come from a Hispanic (Catholic and Mexican) household with two sisters, my parents and my dog. Growing up in a small city that is 99.02% Hispanic, I had an awesome experience with culture shock when I moved to Arlington for my college years. I was exposed to so much more beyond what was in my Mexican-American culture.
Why do you want to teach:
My mother was a preschool teacher while I was growing up and became the inspiration for my sisters and me to become teachers. We would always volunteer in her classroom and managed to learn a thing or two about classroom management. Seeing the importance of my mother's job when it came to the students' education, it was easy to choose a career that made such an impact on the lives of many others.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I will never forget the first time I was in front of a classroom teaching my very first lesson. Before that, all I had ever done was tutor students on a one-to-one basis and focused on strengthening their knowledge on what they already knew about the lesson. Now I was supposed to teach them the lesson from scratch. I was beyond nervous and spoke too softly. I didn't do very well the first time, but with the support from the UTeach program, I feel I am able to move on from that "memorable" teaching experience and build on it to become a better instructor.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
This program means getting the opportunity to continue my education and finish my degree without having to take a semester off to work and save money for my last semester of college. Most important, the UTeach program has provided me with tools and community to be well-prepared to enter the classroom and make a difference.
