Pursuing an MSEd in Special & General Education
I graduated college wanting to be a public school teacher. It only made sense to begin pursuing my Master’s degree.
After wrapping up at Barnard, I got on a flight to Denmark the next day to go visit my host family and my former practicum students. As soon as I returned, I headed straight to camp for the rest of my third summer on staff. When I finally got back to Brooklyn, it was fall and time to make my next move.
I was on a call with Professor Rivera, my former advisor from Barnard and the chair of the Education Program. I asked her what she thought I should do next. She said “You should go to graduate school. And you should go to Bank Street.”
This was on October 13th, 2024. At first, I immediately said no. I just finished school! I thought about it some more. The next day, I sent her an email. “I’m doing it. I’m applying to Bank Street.”
The application was due on November 1st. I had to get my life together—and quickly.
I spent the next two and a half weeks in grind mode, thinking deeply about what has drawn me to education and the desire to become a teacher. I thought back on pivotal moments in my education journey—my computer science and education classes, sleepaway camp, astrophysics. I thought about how my experience studying abroad in Denmark made me value children having agency and independence in the classroom. I thought about the teachers throughout my K-12 education who truly saw me and celebrated my strengths.
I received my acceptance letter on November 15th and began my schooling in January 2025.
I decided to pursue a degree in special and general education because of my dream of becoming a teacher in an ICT classroom. I was often in ICT classes growing up and benefited so much from the individualized support I received. While I was technically on the "general education side" of the classroom, it was always the special education teachers in our classroom that really saw me. Most notably, my 5th grade teacher, Ms. Hunt, really made me feel like a star. She made it so clear how much she believed in me. She inspires the kind of teacher I am working to become.
From day one, Bank Street has pushed me to think critically about the role that race, class, language, culture, ability, and access play in education. Throughout my courses and the ethos of the school, there has been an emphasis on equity, social justice, advocacy, inclusivity, and using education as a means for driving social change. I often think of the quote from Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell: "we see in education the opportunity to build a better society." That is exactly why I am here. Bank Street has already played such an important role in my growth, helping me feel more confident, knowledgeable, and prepared to meet students where they are.
In addition to my role as a student, I also serve as Bank Street's Student Ambassador, where I represent Bank Street at admissions events, support communications and content generation, serve as a point of contact for graduate students, and help with the development of community building and belonging initiatives within the Graduate school.