Estefany Luna
TDC Program: Post-Baccalaureate Student (BA’17 Animal Science, Cornell University)
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Deciding to Teach: I decided to teach after working as an English teacher assistant in Italy. I enjoyed working with the students. Some days were tough, but seeing my students improve, even just a little, every day was worthwhile.
My TDC Success: With the expert help from my professors and the experiences I have had during student teaching, I feel comfortable in being able to create a healthy learning community in my future classroom. I think I would not feel as prepared if I didn’t have the knowledge I got from both my classes at UTD and my cooperating teacher.
Plans for the Future: I hope to become a science teacher in a middle school with a diverse student body. Because I came from an immigrant, low-income family, I want to show students of similar backgrounds that they can also get a good education and achieve their goals.
Advice to Prospective TDC Students: My advice to prospective students is to build a good network while studying at UTD. You will meet and build relationships with your professors, fellow student teachers, and teachers where you clinically teach, who will give you advice and support you when you need it. It is one of the beauties of the Teacher Development Center at UTD.