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UES features << back to UES 1. Sample Classroom Placements 2. What Students Have to Say 3. Interviews with Participants 4. Frequently Asked Questions 5. Profiles of Past Participants > what students say about UES
"Two years ago I participated in the Urban Education Semester, and I want you to know how important that experience has been to me, especially in shaping my education and career paths. I often refer to that semester as 'the semester that changed my life.' I'm applying to the University of Connecticut for my Master's Degree in Education, and I have never been more sure of the direction in which I am heading." "My college advisor told me I would not be able to survive in a competitive college environment. My response after events like this was to adopt society's false notions of myself as an incapable and doomed black male. It was not until I went to New York for the Urban Education Semester that I gratefully began to discover and believe I was capable of survival in higher education. . . I want to return to my community and reach those who have been ignored or told they are intellectually inferior."  "Participating in the Urban Education Semester enhanced
my desire to become an educator. Living, working, and studying
in New York City challenged an array of myths and stereotypes
I had brought with me from my Catholic, suburban life, and working with my mentor teacher in East Harlem revealed the
impact a talented, intelligent, and dedicated teacher can
have on a multitude of students." "As I enter my final semester of college, I regard the Urban Education Semester as a turning point in my collegiate career. The semester helped me remember why I want to teach. I hope one day to have the quality, expertise and dedication of the educators I met during the Urban Education Semester. If only more undergraduates with an interest in education could have such an experience..." "During the past year I received my Master's in Childhood Education from New York University. I discovered that classes were easy and I was way ahead of many of my peers in terms of knowledge of practice, theory, and the current issues in urban education. I know that I would not have a confidence to walk into this teaching situation without the support of my UES experience and those participants and professors who I have continued to be in touch with following the end of the semester." - Meg Smanik, Franklin & Marshall '03 "I think it's easy at Brown to grow comfortable using a common vocabulary and sometimes even thought process to explore issues of social justice and change. One of the great things about UES was being surrounded by other students who shared a commitment to public service and working for social justice, but conversed about those issues in a very different way. I think it was a great challenge to be forced to articulate your self outside the insular Brown community." - Simon Moore, Brown University '00 (back to top) |
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