Leaders of the Herd: Scholars of Distinction Make Their Mark on the Forty Acres and Beyond

For Youth and Community Studies freshman America Serrano Ochoa, her scholarship made her dreams of higher education her scholarship made her dreams of higher education possible and marked the difference for her to attend UT Austin. Now, Serrano Ochoa, a first-generation college student, wants to help her future students gain the confidence to seek higher education opportunities, too.

“Some students don’t have their parents to push them, so it starts with their teacher,” Serrano Ochoa said. She added that she was first exposed to teaching as an Algebra 1 tutor for middle and high school students but found her true calling for education when she studied abroad in the Dominican Republic, working with children who had faced hardship and teaching them how to have fun.

“They had never experienced that because their education programs and policy are completely different,” Serrano Ochoa said. Later, she solidified her mission when she assisted teaching English literacy classes for adults from countries across the globe. “It was different because they were more eager, they were there for a reason and my job was to help them,” Serrano Ochoa said. “I saw my dad in them.”

EC-6th Grade General Education sophomore Ciara Castanie’s dreams of attending UT Austin began when her grandfather taught her to do the Hook ’em sign at just three years old. As a first-generation college student, she did not think that her Longhorn dreams were possible and applied as a long shot, only to discover that she would not only be admitted but also financially supported along the way.

When I got in, I was crying and I thought, ‘This is the top school in Texas and I am about to go here,’ Castanie said. Though teaching was not always her passion, she found herself driven to it by her life lessons as an eldest daughter and her natural ability to connect with people and understand their needs. Through her COE community, UT has become a home where she enjoys the culture and takes advantage of amazing opportunities. Now, she looks forward to teaching upper elementary students in her own classroom and using her positive attitude and caring nature to make a difference for the next generation.

I want to give back to these schools where kids need someone to rely on, someone to look up to, Castanie said. I want to change the world little by little every day. Sometimes a smile is just what someone needs.

Growing up in Leander, just outside of Austin, Youth and Community Studies Urban Teachers Social Studies sophomore Caleb Ellison has always been familiar with UT Austin. However, he said it was the College of Education that swayed him to choose UT because of the support the college offers for each student’s dreams and aspirations.

“I think that sets COE apart from other institutions,” Ellison said. “I put passion into my application, and they gave it back a hundred times over in the ways they could support me in my journey at this University and afterwards in Texas public schools.”

Ellison’s mission to be a public school educator stems from the unique opportunity to shape the future generations and witness daily the impact that this work has on students, who in turn make a difference in their communities and beyond.

“I want to change the world by equipping my future students with the tools, advocacy and knowledge they need to change the world too,” Ellison said. “I feel like UT prepares me for that in every way.”

Special Education senior Emma Farmer grew up with a passion for teaching inspired by the many teachers in her family. After witnessing her aunt, grandmother and grandfather work as educators, she was inspired to lead a classroom of her own.

“I always loved school, getting to learn and do experiments,” Farmer said. Growing up an Aggie, Farmer made a last-minute surprise decision to attend UT Austin. She is grateful to her professors, cohort coordinators and field supervisors as she learns to navigate the world of teaching. Farmer chose special education because she wants to be an advocate for students and be able to teach them everything they deserve to know.

“Every kid is capable of learning, and it is really cool to be a part of their learning journey,” Farmer said. “Changing the world starts in the classroom, by being a teacher who welcomes students with a smile, who knows their names and gets to know each student as a person.”

Bilingual Education senior Karla Cardenas of Houston didn’t really have a dream school because she did not think it would be financially possible for her to attend college. As she applied to numerous colleges, she realized her dreams could come true at UT Austin when she received the Dean’s Promising Scholarship and the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers. After touring campus and chatting with COE staff, she knew COE would be her home for the next four years.

Now, Cardenas is only one year away from realizing her lifelong dream of becoming a bilingual education teacher. As a child she was transitioned out of bilingual education very early because of a lack of teachers and struggled to catch up learning both English and academics. Her mission now is inspired by seeing the struggle that her parents faced not being able to communicate with her teachers.

“I have always wanted to ease that burden for my future students and make that transition for them a lot smoother,” Cardenas said. “One of my kindergarten teachers who was bilingual continued to help my mom throughout my transition until I was in third grade. Those connections really helped me, and I want to be that for my future students.”