As I completed my third year as an elementary school educator in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), I wanted to start a graduate degree program that would give me the opportunity to achieve my professional goals, while simultaneously continuing my career. This desire led me to research the MCPS website to see which graduate partnerships were offered to current teachers and professionals. Through this personal research, I learned that the University of Maryland, College Park offered a higher education partnership degree program — an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Specialty: STEM Education — at the Universities of Shady Grove (USG), and it really piqued my interest. It was important to me to find a program that would strengthen and build on my prior educational background, expose me to engaging content, and would also motivate me to explore the future of education. What made it even more appealing was the fact that the campus was in close proximity to where I was working.
After applying and being admitted into the program in 2019, I attended class at the USG campus for three years. While there, I was able to learn about a variety of learning opportunities available and witness the vast and diverse student population. One could see students utilizing the resources at the Priddy Library, collaborating in modern collaborative learning spaces, or creating culinary creations! There always seemed to be fun, engaging events offered to the student body like food trucks, fitness classes or workshops. Additionally, I loved utilizing the beautiful classrooms and maker-spaces in the newest facility on the campus, the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering building.
In May of 2022, I graduated from my master’s program and have continued teaching elementary school students in fourth and fifth grade in the MCPS district, at Beall Elementary. Now with this master’s program under my belt, I plan my instruction with more of a focus on STEM standards and initiatives, learned during my time at USG. I also became a researcher for a National Science Foundation-funded project, C-STEM for Sustainability, with members of the University System of Maryland. Through this project, I am able to help develop design principles for integrating computer science into MCPS and PGCPS science curricula, with a focus on sustainability. This research work provides me with an opportunity to apply and further expand the computer science knowledge and skills, learned through my graduate coursework at the USG campus.
In the future, I plan to continue my research work on the C-STEM project, with hopes to further science education curricula for elementary and graduate students. Beyond that, I plan to complete additional coursework at the doctoral level with a focus in STEM Education.