More than Honorable Mention by Natalie

More than Honorable Mention by Natalie - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

Honorable mention. Honarable mention was the almost-bronze, almost-third place, but not quite label on the ribbon awarded to students' science fair projects that were not as spectacular as the rest. I was in third grade when I started to realize how the students who received "Honorable Mention" were primarily students coming from a working class home. Students' whose parents did not speak English, whose parents were first-generation Americans who worked two jobs and hoped that their children took advantage of their educational opportunities.

My elementary school required all students from about 2nd grade and beyond to participate in the school's annual science fair, undermining the lack of resources that many of the students had. It wasn't until my third grade teacher took the initiative to help her students, who were predominately minorities, with the planning and implementation of our projects. She made sure that we had class time to work on our projects and that we interacted with each other to help one another with questions about the process. It made me realize how much a teacher can care about her students. She saw beyond the curriculum, beyond the recommendations and took it upon herself to ensure that not only we completed our project but actually understood it so that we could continue to improve for years to come.

She did not belong to an ethnic minority which destroyed so many of the expectations I had begun to develop growing up. I felt that she saw innately into what our needs where as first-generation American students who wanted to excel but did not have the resources or social capital to do so. What I find the most powerful is that this is just an example of her extraordinary dedication. She made sure to connect with her students and provide as much help as she could despite her own limits to her resources. My experience as her student has shaped me and continues to impact me today. Though I am not pursuing a career in teaching, I am pursuing a career in Higher Education Administration, where I hope to impact students who are first-generation college students access the adequate tools to excel academically not only in their younger years but throughout their undergraduate education.

Mrs. Flood taught me to think about others needs even if they are not the same ones I may have faced. As an undergraduate I learned more about other communities in higher education who are often marginalized by the policies and lack of support from often outdated educational policies. Those teachers who make an everlasting impact on students are those whose work will never be forgotten. They help instill the desire for social justice in education and that is their true legacy: knowing that their work continues through others and that it becomes a chain reaction.

If I did not have teachers like her, I would have not had as much confidence in my earlier education experiences, which would have rendered me more vulnerable to the stereotypes that face first-generation college students, particularly women of color like myself. I want to thank her, because I don't know if I ever thanked her enough for everything she did for me and the rest of her students. You impacted my life tremendously Mrs. Flood, and I want you to know that I am still working towards my goals to ensure that more students have access to higher education. It takes more than a degree or credential to be a real teacher, it takes heart, dedication and sincere belief in your students, all qualities that you possessed.