Dylan Toth is a senior at Illinois State double majoring in family and consumer sciences teacher education and political science. He plans to become a family and consumer sciences teacher while advocating for policy that is beneficial to students and teachers.
Toth received the Dr. John T. Goeldi Future Teacher Scholarship, which holds a special place in Toth’s heart. “When I saw that preference is given to members of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the National Education Association (NEA), I felt extra special because those are some of the most important things in my life,” Toth said.
He is extremely active in both organizations, serving as the state president through the Student Illinois Education Association on campus. The youngest member on the Board of Directors at 19, Toth also serves as the Aspiring Educator Representative on the Resolutions Committee through the NEA.
“These experiences have shaped me as an educator and advocate, and I’m beyond excited to bring that knowledge to my classroom,” said Toth, who continues to seek leadership experiences. He recently won the election for a position on the NEA’s Board of Directors, the governing body of the largest labor union in the country. Toth said he owes this victory to the opportunities afforded to him by ISU and its network of supporters.
This past summer, Toth participated in a virtual internship through the Leadership Six Internship Program of Common Cause Illinois. Common Cause Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan good-government advocacy organization that works to hold elected leaders accountable.
Toth also passed his social science-political science teacher certification exam. This allows him to teach government, civics, and politics courses in high schools, as well as family and consumer science courses.
“Your generosity has touched me in ways you won’t understand,” Toth told his scholarship donors. “There aren’t enough people like you supporting future educators like me.”
