On June 26, the Neag School of Education celebrated the winners of its \u201cWhy Teach, Why Now\u201d contest, which encouraged high school students enrolled in its education Early College Experience courses to share why they wish to become educators in urban settings. The three winners of the contest were Aiden Tetreault from Enfield, who came in first place; Madelyn Heitmann of Milford, who came in second; and Keira Beck of Milford, who came in third.<\/p>\n
The Neag School had 924 students enrolled in its ECE courses across 45 Connecticut high schools during the 2024-2025 academic year, and all were invited to submit for the contest. Submissions had to be either 250-500-word essays or 5-minute videos describing why they want to be urban educators and why now. A committee of faculty from the Neag School\u2019s Office of Teacher Education \u2014 including Alyssa Hadley Dunn, Austina Lee, and Kathryn Nagrotsky \u2014 judged the submissions and selected the winners.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when teachers and teaching are often under attack, it was a true privilege to review the submissions of future urban educators who are committed to the profession,\u201d says Dunn, who is the director of teacher education for the Neag School.<\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, Tetreault, Heitmann, and Beck, along with their families and teachers, were invited to a celebratory reception at UConn Hartford. All three students read their winning submissions for the group before receiving small award plaques.<\/p>\n
\u201cAiden, Madelyn, and Keira\u2019s essays illustrated the importance of working for justice and equity for all children,\u201d Dunn says. \u201cTheir ECE teachers had clearly done a great job of helping them understand the power of teachers in today\u2019s world, and their writings beautifully linked their personal experiences with their future profession.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding its ECE course offerings and enrollment has been a priority for the Neag School for the past few years. When the School piloted two ECE courses in 2021-2022, only five school districts participated. Since then, the Neag School has expanded to offer four courses and has steadily increased its enrollment every year. The ECE courses it currently offers include: EDCI 1100: If You Love It, Teach It; EDLR 1162: Health and Education in Urban Communities; EDLR 2001: Contemporary Social Issues in Sport; and EPSY 1100: Introduction to Special Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do these courses allow students to earn UConn credits while still in high school, but they also offer the chance to explore careers in education,\u201d said Neag School Dean Jason G. Irizarry during his welcome remarks at the event. \u201cWe need passionate future educators more than ever, and I\u2019m thrilled that we\u2019re recognizing three of them tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event was supported by the John and Carla Klein Endowment for Urban Education through the UConn Foundation.<\/p>\n
“The Neag School of Education has a longstanding commitment to preparing educators to work in the schools that need them the most,\u201d Irizarry said. \u201cWe are lucky that multiple donors \u2013 most notably, Carla Klein \u2013 are also invested in that vision. We are grateful for their generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n