Student Spotlight

EdD student Lauren Wheeler is a finalist for the 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award. She is one of nine finalists and was selected from a field of more than 80,000 teachers statewide. 

During this academic year, the Exercise Science Club at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education continually found ways to keep its student members engaged through social activities and career/networking events that adhered to public health guidelines.

Abby Hughes, a first-year student in the MEd in Early Childhood Education program at Pitt Education, teaches preschool at Tender Care Learning Center in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh.

Simeon McCray, from Norristown, Pennsylvania, is a fifth-year student in the Combined Accelerated Studies in Education (CASE) program. In this Q&A, he discusses his student teaching experience, the connection he feels with students, and how he avoids teacher burnout. His quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

Tasha Peacock, a first-year EdD student in Urban Education and a Gates Millenium Scholar alumna, has improved college access for local students through her work with the Pittsburgh Admissions Collaboration.

Reema Manshi is a first-year student in the Master of Education in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) program and the recipient of the Your Job and Scholarship award from Saudi Arabia. Born and raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, she aspires to use the knowledge gained at Pitt Education to improve programs for autistic children in her home country. 

Denise LaRosa is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Ellis School, a private, all-girls school in Pittsburgh for children ages 3 through grade 12. 

PhD student Ashley Shafer's research poster, “Increasing Teachers’ Well-Being and Capacity to Implement through a Community of Practice” won the national prize at the Society for Prevention Research’s 2020 Early Career Preventionist Network (ECPN) Student Poster Contest. 

Three vision studies students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education were honored with 2020 scholarship awards from the Association for Education Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), the nation’s leading professional organization for educators in blindness and visual impairment.