Hundreds of future teachers from across the country came together for the 2025 National Education Association Aspiring Educators Conference in Portland, Oregon, ready to connect, grow, and prepare to lead in the evolving landscape of public education. Among those in attendance at the late-June conference were two aspiring educators (AEs) from CEA’s AE Program, excited to represent their state and learn from other passionate future teachers.
For many AEs, the realities of the profession—such as unpaid student teaching and low entry-level salaries—underscored the importance of learning how to advocate, not only for themselves but for their students and the future of public education.
CEA AE Program Chair Hannah Spinner is grateful to have been able to attend the conference.
“It was a very powerful space. Many young people don’t feel they have the knowledge or ability to make change, so being around others who feel empowered and capable was inspiring.”
Two sessions that she attended stood out to Spinner. One titled “Organizing for Now” focused on retaining AEs and helped chapter leaders learn how to make sure everyone has space and stake in the program.
“Making sure other AE members feel seen, heard, and involved is critical to building our numbers and membership,” the UConn student says.
Establishing paid student teaching has been a goal of the CEA AE program for several years, and a session on promoting paid student teaching partnerships with local districts gave Spinner new ideas to bring home to Connecticut
“Despite our best efforts, we haven’t had success at the legislative level, ” Spinner says. “Some AEs from Iowa presented on how, rather than pushing for statewide reform, they’d partnered with a school district near their university and were able to establish paid student teaching opportunities. They shared their proposal and the process they used to make it happen. It was very interesting to learn about as it’s not a route I’d considered before.”
Danyelix Echevarría Figueroa, also a UConn student, is newer to the AE program and was thrilled she was able to attend as an underclassman.
“The national conference was an experience I never thought I would have access to so early on, but it really showed me why our voices matter and are so important,” she says.
She attended a session lead by CEA AE program specialist and Ledyard teacher Kate Cummings who has just completed her first year teaching.
“Kate’s workshop described how to survive your first year as a teacher,” Echevarría says. “It was so valuable because school doesn’t teach you many of the things she covered.”
Echevarría says her favorite part of the conference was being able to meet people from other states and collaborating and sharing ideas with those other aspiring educators.
CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked, the organizer for the CEA AE Program, says the conference was a great experience for the Connecticut AEs.
“What was most exiting for me was seeing how engaged they were and how empowered and confident they felt,” she said.
UConn students bring home top awards, fresh ideas, and new energy
The AEs have a chance to dress up and celebrate at an awards ceremony that takes place during the NEA conference. Known as the GramAE Awards, the ceremony celebrates the hard work of aspiring educators, state organizers, and chapter advisors.
UConn students and CEA Aspiring Educators Hannah Spinner (state chair) and Danyelix Echevarría Figueroa celebrate being recognized with State and Local Excellence awards with CEA President Kate Dias.
Spinner describes the recognition her state and local chapter received at the award ceremony as an unexpected but very welcome surprise.
“I was looking over at Sked, not paying attention to the screen, and all of a sudden she screamed,” Spinner says.
The CEA Aspiring Educator Program was honored with the State Excellence Recognition Award and UConn’s AE chapter received the Local Excellence Award.
“Seeing UConn and CEA up on the board was amazing,” Spinner says. “It felt so great to be recognized for the work we’re doing with the four pillars of the NEA AE program.”
“The awards were very unexpected, but I couldn’t be prouder,” says Sked.
Echevarría and Spinner are both excited to bring back all they’ve learned to Connecticut and start planning state and local chapter activities for the year ahead.
“One of things we’re working on is engaging more members,” Spinner says. “The organizing session gave me a lot of ideas to bring back to our state team. We’re going to discuss setting up an alumni system to keep in touch with early career teachers. I also want to think about partnering with priority districts and coming up with a plan to benefit both the districts and AEs who are student teaching.”
She adds, “Considering we won the state excellence award we’re looking to do even more this year and get more students involved and aware of the benefits of being a member.”
