Published April 17, 2023
CAPTION:Graduating seniors from local high schools committed to attend ULM and LDCC during
a signing event at the annual Educators Rising Campus Day.
MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe hosted the second annual Educators Rising Campus
Day on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in The Hangar on the second floor of the ULM SUB.
Over 200 students, administrators, and personnel from eight school districts and 11 partner
high schools learned more about being professional educators. Partner school districts
in attendance included Caldwell, DeSoto, Franklin, Madison, Monroe City, Morehouse,
Ouachita, and Richland.
“We are incredibly pleased to see the growth of this program and our campus visit
day event. We have more than doubled our enrollment in pre-educator coursework and
our attendance at this event from last year to this year,” said Dr. Amy Weems, ULM
Assistant Professor of Education. “We make regular visits to all our partner schools
throughout the school year, but it is especially exciting for them all to be together
to share their ideas and energy towards the future of education,” added Weems.
The crowd was welcomed in an opening address by ULM President Dr. Ron Berry, who encouraged
the students on their path to becoming educators. “If you look around, one of our
biggest needs as a state is teachers. Teachers who care about other individuals and
want to make a difference in their lives, who want to create their futures. So please
stay with it. We desperately need you,” said Berry. In closing, he added “ULM is known
for meeting people where they are and helping them get to where they need to be. So
when you come to ULM, I can assure you that you will have the opportunity to become
the best teacher possible.”
The day continued with sessions and activities for the students including the opportunity
to participate in a service-learning project by helping assemble “LEAP Survival Kits”
that will be distributed to approximately 90 local 4th grade classrooms. These students are part of ULM’s Centennial Scholars Program, who
will make up the incoming freshman class of 2031, the University’s 100th year. The kits included snacks and activities for the elementary students to enjoy
during their state testing.
“We are so thankful for the support of our service-learning project from the campus
visit day participants, our ULM family, and the community,” said Weems. “We know these
LEAP survival kits and the inspirational videos we are creating will help our Centennial
Scholars during standardized testing week,” she said.
The closing keynote speaker was Kimberly Eckert, who currently serves as the Dean of Oxford Teachers College at Reach University. An educator
for 15 years, Eckert was a 2020 Global Teacher Prize finalist, 2019 NEA Social Justice
Activist of the Year national finalist, the 2018 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, and
the inaugural Louisiana Public Interest Fellow for her work developing a state-wide
Educators Rising Program for targeted recruitment of a diverse and culturally responsive
teacher pipeline.
In her speech, Eckert recounted experiences from a recent trip to Kenya. She spoke
about the educational challenges faced by teachers and students there and what American
educators can learn from them. She closed by saying that she would love for all of
the students to join her in the profession of becoming a teacher. “Because even though
you may be one part of your community now, whenever you become a teacher, you become
part of a much larger community, and none of us are alone. All of us have so much
to share, and we do it all through the willingness to serve an entire community,”
said Eckert.
The afternoon closed with a signing ceremony featuring graduating high school seniors
who have committed to attend ULM or Louisiana Delta Community College (LDCC) in the
fall to pursue a degree in education. LDCC has a “two plus two” agreement with ULM
which allows students to transfer to ULM after two years at LDCC and receive a teaching
degree.
Students signing a commitment to attend ULM included: Keriann Cassels, Caldwell Parish
High School; Rhiannon Doucet, Caldwell High School; Ray English, Jr., Wossman High
School; Lauren Gwin, Mangham High School; Shelby Nicholson, Rayville High School;
and Claire Russell, Sterlington High School.
Students signing a commitment to attend LDCC included: Alyssa Hernandez, Mangham High
School; TyDresianna Jenkins, Wossman High School; RaNya McDaniel, Wossman High School;
Natechia Pikes, Wossman High School; and Aakayla Ruff, Wossman High School.
“I cannot think of a more inspiring way to end our campus visit day than to celebrate
the commitment of these 10 pre-educators to continue their pursuit of teaching as
a profession. We cannot wait to have them with us on campus in the fall semester,”
said Weems.
The 2023 Educators Rising Campus Day also marked the second year of a five-year, $100,000
grant from Regions Bank. The grant provides two Regions Bank ULM Educators Rising
Program Scholarships per year and assists in retaining students in the School of Education.
For more information about the ULM Pre-Educator Pathway or Educators Rising, contact
Weems at weems@ulm.edu or 318-342-1280.
About ULM Pre-Educator Pathway
The ULM Pre-Educator Pathway was recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education,
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. In 2020, the program was adopted statewide
by the Louisiana State Workforce Commission Workforce Investment Council.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $163 billion in assets, is a member
of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of
consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services.
Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary,
Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,300 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs.
Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about
Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.
About Educators Rising
Educators Rising is a nonprofit organization designed to cultivate future educators
by providing college-credit classes, support, and guidance while still in high school
and through university graduation. The National Education Association, National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards, and the Walton Family Foundation are among its
partners.
