Why I Want To Pursue My Career Path

If someone were to ask me four years ago what I planned to do with my life, I would not have a definite answer. Before entering college, I was uncertain as to what career path I wanted to take. Growing up, my mother always told me that I would make a wonderful teacher. She had a background in teaching and wanted me to pursue the same career path that she once took. I knew that I really enjoyed working with children; therefore, I thought my best option was to become an elementary teacher. Teaching allowed me to not only work closely with children but to also make a difference. Teaching is considered to be one of the most prestigious and noble careers, so I entered college feeling as though I was making the right decision. During my sophomore year, I began to take coursework related to elementary education. I was able to see what teaching students really entailed and required. After observing a fifth grade classroom and learning more about the field of teaching, I began to question if teaching was something that I wanted to take on full time. Although I was conflicted as to whether I should continue on the journey to becoming an elementary teacher, I was unable to change my academic major due to financial circumstances. During that particular …show more content…
Due to similar interests, I am very eager to work with Dr. Joy Gayles and Dr. Paul Umbach. I hope to work with Dr. Gayles to gain research regarding how faculty can assist students from underrepresented populations in obtaining academic success as well as achieve a positive outcome of their undergraduate education. I also hope to learn more about the research on college success of student athletes considering that I could potentially advise these particular students in the future. I am interested in working with Dr. Umbach to learn more about the policies and organizational structures that affect college access and