From across the nation and throughout the Lone Star State, the College of Education’s scholars of distinction are ready to leave their footprint on the world—from making a difference back home to communities in need around the globe.
Our highly driven and dedicated COE scholars are selected based on their outstanding academic achievement, demonstrated leadership skills, a history or desire to serve their community and a mission to make an impact in the world. Among them are those admitted to the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, the Dean’s Promising Scholars Program and the Forty Acres Scholars Program.
This year, the college welcomed four dozen new scholars, including 34 Charles Butt Scholars, 13 Dean’s Promising Scholars and one Forty Acres Scholar. As classes begin, our new scholars shared their excitement for the possibilities that lay ahead as they embark on their next academic journey. Meanwhile, returning students took a moment to reflect on the impactful experiences, learning opportunities and life lessons that their time at the College of Education has provided them as they prepare to take on the world, fulfill their dreams and make a difference in health, education, sport and beyond.
Our Dean’s Promising, Charles Butt and Forty Acres scholars share their future outlook, passions and aspirations below:
Junior and Forty Acres Scholar Molly Hunter said she came to Texas from North Carolina seeking a big school with a good sense of community and great academics and she found a home at UT. When she joined COE, Hunter said she knew she loved children and wanted to work with them but not in a traditional classroom setting. After finding out about the Youth and Community studies major, she knew it was a perfect fit for her to realize her dreams of working with teen moms and special populations of children. She said one COE class that particularly stands out to her required each of the 20 students to sit in a circle and share about hard experiences to form community. “UT is so big, education is so big, and it made it feel small and personal,” Hunter said. Now, she said she hopes to take these lessons and techniques to serve special populations of children, such as those in foster care or lacking access to education, internationally through mission work.
As a junior generalist education student, Allison Lew is going into her third year as a Charles Butt Scholar. She said this opportunity has been formative for her experience at The University of Texas as it has provided her with alumni, staff, and peer support, as well as various clinics and workshops focused on helping her prepare for the career in teaching that she hopes to pursue. “I have had the opportunity to connect and discuss the state of Texas education with aspiring, current and former educators,” Lew said, adding that chatting with those equally passionate about her field has helped inspire her and shape her vision of the type of educator she wants to become.
An elementary generalist education senior and Charles Butt Scholar, Elena Nguyen is excited to accomplish her lifelong dream to become a teacher in her own classroom. From formative experiences as a tutor and through church, to impactful student teaching opportunities and the community she has found in Teachers of Tomorrow, Nguyen said her time at the College of Education has only further confirmed her calling to teach. This summer, Nguyen spent several weeks immersed in a South Texas middle school classroom through Hook ’Em Here Harlingen, a new initiative the college launched earlier this year. “I am going to be interacting with kids all the time and kids are the future,” Nguyen said, adding that someday she also hopes to be a leader and changemaker in the world of education and educational policy.
An elementary bilingual education generalist senior and Charles Butt Scholar from Houston, Diana Perez said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Perez said she dreamed of the College of Education at UT after doing a “What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up” project in elementary school and finding COE when she looked up the best colleges to become a teacher. “Whenever it started getting closer in high school and I saw that goal was attainable, it was like nothing was going to hold me back,” Perez said. After seeing the sacrifices that her family made for her to get an education, Perez said her education became of great value to her and she looked up to the teachers who would translate for her parents when she was in school. “I want to be that person for students whose parents don’t speak English and help them figure out life,” Perez said.
After facing injuries while participating in sports throughout his childhood, junior Dean’s Promising Scholar Marco Requejo of Houston said he is majoring in Exercise Science within the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education because he wants to support others who face injuries and coach young children. “Sports is kind of my life and medicine, I think, is the way to go with it,” Requejo said. He added that the community at the College of Education has made this a welcoming, positive and inspiring experience.
An incoming freshman and Dean’s Promising Scholar from Houston, Cesar Rosas said he hopes to use his education in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education to become a physical therapist. Rosas said he was shocked but full of joy to find out that his tuition would be covered because he comes from a low-income Hispanic household and this scholarship would make the difference in his receiving an education that his parents were not able to have. Growing up, Rosas said he saw the difference that physical therapy can make through his family members who had mobility issues and observed a lack of access to these services in low-income communities. “I hope to one day start my own physical therapy center in a low-income community to provide that care that I did not have,” Rosas said.
A third-year senior from the Dallas area, Dean’s Promising Scholar and elementary education generalist major Amber Scott said she hopes to be a fourth-grade teacher, then principal and eventually a college professor. She said being able to attend the college without worrying about tuition and with a cohort of fellow scholars to lean on has been impactful for both her educational journey and mental health wellness. Through the experiential learning opportunities, teacher mentors, in-depth lessons and engaging with a diverse and welcoming community at COE, Scott said she feels prepared to enter the field with full confidence. “As I got older and older, I realized I had a true passion for kids,” Scott said. “My mom is also in the education field and that really inspired me because I really look up to her.”
