Sydney Fagundes grew up wanting to be a teacher. But her senior year of high school, she got cold feet.
鈥淚 decided to chase the money,鈥� she says.
Her father was a biomedical engineer 鈥� and UMass Lowell had a new biomedical engineering program. She thought that sounded interesting, so she joined it as a first-year student.聽
Right after finishing finals, Fagundes was scrolling through her Twitter feed when she spotted an announcement: The College of Education was going to offer an undergraduate education major again, after a 32-year hiatus.
鈥淚 immediately thought, 鈥楾his is what I need to do!鈥欌�� she says.
It means an extra year of college, but Fagundes has kept costs down by moving back home. Once she finishes her bachelor鈥檚 degree with dual certifications in elementary education and moderate disabilities for pre-K to eighth grade, she will continue on for her master鈥檚 degree in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in either science or math education.
鈥淚鈥檝e found my calling, I鈥檝e found my home and I鈥檝e found my people 鈥� people who get excited over the same things I do, like a new children鈥檚 book,鈥� she says.
Fagundes is already teaching science and math literacy five afternoons a week as an outreach program specialist for Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell. She goes to a different elementary school each day and also runs programs at their downtown headquarters.
鈥淭he exposure I get to lesson-planning is so beneficial in all my courses, because I鈥檓 planning a new lesson every single week,鈥� she says. 鈥淓very lesson is different, and you need to try things and adapt. Working for Girls Inc. has taught me that.鈥�
Fagundes says she鈥檚 gotten involved in every opportunity the College of Education has to offer, including starting a campus chapter of SEAM 鈥� the Student Education Association of Massachusetts 鈥� which provides professional and leadership development opportunities to her and other members.聽
She helps other education students as a tutor at the Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services, and she鈥檚 a College of Education ambassador to alumni, new students and prospective students.聽
Fagundes can鈥檛 praise the undergraduate program enough 鈥� for its small size, caring faculty and field experience, which she says is unique among teaching programs she looked at.
鈥淔or every education course we have taken, we have been in a classroom observing or giving lessons since the very first class of freshman year,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love this program. I couldn鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.鈥�