This past December, the National Center for Urban Education (NCUE) celebrated the fall 2022 graduates. The cohort of twelve students spent their last semester student teaching at NCUE partner schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
NCUE has a long-standing tradition of holding a culminating event each semester for the students that participate in the NCUE student teaching programs (semester or yearlong). This intimate celebration includes cooperating teachers, university supervisors, community-based organization (CBO) liaisons, students’ family and friends as well as NCUE staff from Chicago and campus.
Each cohort of students is special, but NCUE is especially proud that 50% of the fall students were coming home to Chicago. Since its inception, NCUE has worked to support the recruitment and retention of CPS students at ISU, and it was wonderful to see so many reach their goal of graduating and becoming teachers.
The evening took place at the Atardecer Acapulqueño restaurant in Little Village. NCUE was connected to this local gem through community partner Latinos Progresando and the owners beautifully decorated their event room for the graduates and provided delicious food. Dr. Maria Luisa Zamudio-Mainou, NCUE executive director, welcomed everyone and individually congratulated each student for their accomplishments.
“Recognizing the students filled me with pride knowing that NCUE played a small part in supporting each of them to realize their dream of becoming teachers. Acknowledging their many years of work and preparation, it was humbling to lift them up alongside their family, cooperating teachers, community partners, and NCUE team at the celebration.”
Dr. Dakesa Piña, COE director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, gave a warm welcome from the Dean’s office.
“I didn’t know how critical the NCUE December graduation event would be in truly helping me understand the impact of NCUE. Seeing all of the graduates, family members, cooperating teachers, and NCUE staff celebrate this accomplishment reminded me of the type of support we all need to be successful.”
As always, the celebration started with an opening circle led by Pamm Ambrose, NCUE staff and university supervisor for the School of Teaching & Learning (TCH) students. Everyone was invited to introduce themselves, and specifically, the graduates were asked to share a moment of joy from their student teaching experience that will sustain them when they have a tough moment as a new teacher. Jennifer O’Malley, director of NCUE Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline then facilitated an activity where students read each other’s haikus that captured their experience in Chicago.
Then the NCUE tradition called for a student, a cooperating teacher, and a community partner to speak as part of the event. This year’s student speaker was Veronica Lopez in English Teacher Education. Veronica participated in the NCUE Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Preparation (STEP-UP) and came to student-teach in CPS with a deep commitment to urban education.
“I don’t think I would have been as connected and passionate anywhere else than in CPS. I saw myself being reflected in my students, in the staff, and in the community.”
Oscar Parada Campos, a fifth-grade teacher at Hamline, mentored Paulino Gomez Pacheco. Parada Campos continued the theme of reflection, speaking of his own education in the Little Village community and his experience this semester working with another CPS graduate aspiring to be a teacher in their home district.
Melanie Christion, CBO liaison from the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation carried this theme to fruition with this piece of advice for the graduates: “A good education can change anyone. A good teacher can change everything. Remember though you don’t have to be everything to everyone, utilize the resources available to you whether they are in the school building or not. When you become a teacher, you become a member of three communities: your classroom, your school, and the neighborhood you work in.”
After presenting each student with a certificate noting a special quality identified by their university supervisor, the celebration finished with a closing circle. Each participant pledged something specific they would do for the new graduates as they begin their careers as educators. As we like to say at NCUE, it takes a community to raise a teacher!
Lopez ended her speech earlier in the night with a powerful message that one of her high school students wrote to her. “You always said when we leave class, ‘Go do good things in the world,’ now it is your turn. I know you will do great.”
NCUE echoes this wise student—we know all of our Fall 2022 graduates are poised to do amazing things in this world! Congratulations!
