UConn Neag School of Education student Carter Newman ’24 (ED), ’25 MA has been recognized as an Alma Exley Scholar for 2025.

Alma Exley was a dedicated educator who worked in the Connecticut State Department of Education and devoted her career to bringing more people of color into teaching. After she passed away in 1995, the Alma Exley Scholarship Program continued her work. The program provides at least one annual scholarship of $5,000 to a student of color in an accredited teacher-preparation program in Connecticut.

“I work very hard in my educational studies, and I’m very proud of the work that I do,” Newman says. “So, it felt like I was getting recognized for something that I’m very passionate about. It also makes you feel that you’re a part of history. Obviously, I am not the first educator of color, but because there are so few of us, it’s an important reminder that education is not just for one demographic.”

Newman says he has known he has wanted to be a teacher since he was young. His first job was working as a camp counselor and, since then, his passion has been to make a difference in the development of young minds.

“Ultimately, I would like to work in curriculum design and development,” Newman says. “What I really wish I could do is focus on building an equitable and accessible curriculum; also, making sure that we diversify our curriculum. We want education to be fun and for all students to have a piece of their own identity in education.”

Newman is also the vice president of Leadership in Diversity (LID), an affinity group within the Neag School of Education. Their aim as a student-run organization is to maintain and encourage confidence and success in students of color as they pursue careers in the field of education.

Recently, Newman completed a semester abroad in England, where he worked in different schools in London. The experience was impactful, he says, as he had never experienced education outside of the U.S. and, despite the differences, the needs of students are ultimately the same.

“I would highly recommend studying abroad, whether in the educational sphere or not,” he says. “It’s a privilege to go abroad, but it makes you more aware of how you grew up in comparison to another culture. I was super impressed with the idea of international education, and I hope to take what I learned abroad and incorporate it into my work as an educator here.”

Newman says he is grateful to his parents for being some of the most hardworking people in his life, and for providing him with confidence in his own intelligence and abilities. Additionally, he thanks his professors for providing him with an education, but specifically acknowledges Thomas Levine, who originally shared the Alma Exley Scholarship opportunity.

“Carter’s blend of thoughtfulness, leadership, and vision make him an outstanding candidate for the Alma Exley Scholarship,” says Thomas Levine, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the Neag School.  “I saw Carter and his peers in LID speak to teacher education faculty to point to areas where we could be doing more to support teacher candidates of color; saw Carter similarly step up and play roles that helped his cohort and his own learning; and admired how his teaching blends intellectually ambitious outcomes, concern for making his teaching work for all students, and mutual respect between Carter and his students.”

Carter’s blend of thoughtfulness, leadership, and vision make him an outstanding candidate for the Alma Exley Scholarship. — Thomas Levine, associate professor

“There is a way to overcome something, even if there feels like there isn’t,” Newman says. “That’s just something that all my teachers and my parents have shown me. I would not be here without that system of support from everyone. They have instilled that I can be that system of support for my future students.”

Newman says the Neag School has taught him that there is so much more to teaching beyond a surface level, and it is not an easy task. But he is grateful for the challenge, as he says the Neag School has provided a medium to see the different perspectives of teaching.

Newman’s advice to his fellow Neag School and UConn students is to “be authentically you.”

“It’s something I struggled with a lot growing up, and even a little into my college career,” he says. “There is no fault in doing what you want to do and being who you truly want to be. It’s easy to fit into the ‘norm,’ but it is more important to find autonomy over yourself.”

To learn more about the Neag School of Education’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s teacher preparation program, visit teachered.education.uconn.edu.