Brooke Blevins
Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, 2011
Throughout my time at UT I felt incredibly supported in my work as a graduate student, through generous funding opportunities, collaborative research endeavors, and a faculty committed to the success of their students. From the time I entered the program, the faculty were focused on preparing me well for my future work in academia. I was invited to participate in research, teach classes, present at conferences, and co-author manuscripts. In particular my chair, Dr. Cinthia Salinas, answered my questions, modeled great teaching, challenged my thinking, and helped me collaborate with other scholars in the field. In addition to my work at UT, I also had the opportunity to work in local area schools supervising student teachers. Finally, I also had the distinct pleasure of working with other amazing graduate students as a leader in organizations such as Kappa Delta Pi and the Consortium for Research on Teacher Education.
Why UT?
I choose the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UT because of its amazing reputation. I applied to the Curriculum Studies program; however, after looking over my application my future advisor and chair, Dr. Cinthia Salinas called me and recruited me to join the Social Studies education program. With our shared background as economics majors and former speech and debate teachers, Cinthia recognized my potential as a future social studies teacher educator. Cinthia’s interest in me was just the first indication of the kind of collaborative and caring environment I experienced at UT.
Life After UT
UT provided me with the experiences and resources I needed to be a successful academic. My graduate work at UT has certainly been instrumental in shaping my academic pursuits and current work with undergraduate and graduate students. As an assistant professor at Baylor University, I am committed to preparing my students to be agents of change in their work as educators. It wasn’t until I started mentoring graduate students in my current position, that I realized how much time and energy the faculty at UT put into preparing their students for their future work. I am humbled to have been a part of the C&I program at UT and am forever grateful for the wonderful foundation I received during my time there.
