Students discover passion for teaching through high school program
![Incoming University of Kentucky education majors Leoaxy Valerio Garcia, Madelyn Justice, Addison Magsig and Elliott Nash were among the aspiring educators saluted by Fayette County Public Schools on Teacher Signing Day.](https://uknow.uky.edu/sites/default/files/styles/uknow_story_image/public/Teacher%20Signing%20pic.jpg)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 21, 2024) — Leoaxy Valerio Garcia discovered what inspires her when she saw the impact she can have as a teacher.
She was able to test drive that career in the Teaching & Learning Pathway at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington.
“Before, I wanted to be a doctor, but I joined Educators Rising and fell in love with it. I just feel like we need more teachers. I look back at the impact my teachers had on me and I want to make a difference for my students,” Garcia said.
This fall, Garcia will be a freshman majoring in elementary education at the University of Kentucky College of Education. She was among eight Fayette County graduates coming to UK who participated in the school district’s first-ever teacher signing day this past spring.
Much like when student athletes take part in a signing event to commit to play a sport in college, the aspiring educators sat near banners representing the colleges they will attend to prepare to become teachers. They signed commitments to a career in education in front of an audience of family members, news media, university representatives and other education supporters at Fayette County’s John D. Price Administration Building. The event included remarks from Fayette County school officials and Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.
Among representatives from the UK College of Education at the teacher signing event were College of Education associate deans Margaret Mohr-Schroeder, Ph.D., and Margaret Rintamaa, Ed.D.
“Teaching & Learning Pathways across the state are attracting young people to opportunities in education,” said Mohr-Schroeder, UK College of Education senior associate dean for academic programs and partnerships and a professor of STEM education. “We need to continue to elevate the teaching profession and develop unique and flexible pathways to becoming a teacher. When students can experience teaching for themselves and attend events like the signing ceremony, it goes a long way to strengthen our ability to build a robust teacher workforce in Kentucky.”
If not for being part of the Teaching & Learning Pathway in high school, students like Garcia may never have considered majoring in education.
“When students tell us why they chose to pursue a career in education, it often started when they had a chance to interact with students or lead a classroom,” said Rintamaa, UK College of Education associate dean for undergraduate student success and a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Garcia hopes that by becoming a teacher, she can pay forward the positive influence teachers had on her life.
“The difference teachers make in our lives is something we really can’t quantify,” Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins told the students during the signing event. “Thank you for choosing education. I know your future is absolutely bright.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.