Whether the span of your career is measured in months or decades, you remember when it was all still ahead of you: those early days of finding your voice, testing your approach, practicing your craft, and preparing to step into a future full of possibility.
That’s where members of CEA’s Aspiring Educator Program (AEP) find themselves—and with the support of their union, they are preparing to shape not only their future classrooms but also their profession. At the annual CEA AEP Apple Banquet, held at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on April 25, future educators were honored for their commitment to four core values: educator quality, community engagement, political action, and racial and social justice.
“Our membership is at 430 aspiring educators across eight chapters, which is a testament to all the outreach we’ve done,” said CEA AEP Chair Hannah Spinner, noting the program’s many recent achievements, including National Education Association (NEA) grants awarded to two Connecticut chapters, a record number of applicants to lead the statewide program in the upcoming year, professional development, participation in CEF’s Holiday Bear Project, Read Across Connecticut, beautification events at local schools, political engagement, leadership training, and legislative advocacy. AEP chapters are now active on the campuses of CCSU, ECSU, SCSU, WCSU, UConn, Mitchell College, Quinnipiac University, and the University of St. Joseph.
CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked, AEP Vice Chair Rebecca Singleton, AE Chair Hannah Spinner, AE Secretary Madison Selander, and AE Program Specialist and Ledyard teacher Kate Green.
“The program’s continued growth in membership and engagement levels underscores CEA’s vital role in supporting students with the skills and experiences they need to transition from college to heading up their own classrooms,” said CEA President Kate Dias. “Despite the challenges associated with the profession, these remarkable students have dedicated themselves to becoming the next generation of excellent educators in our state.”
Together we rise
Calling CEA Aspiring Educators “the architects of Connecticut’s future,” CEA Executive Director Todd Jaeck told attendees, “You’re in the preparation phase of your career; you’re learning the ‘how’ of teaching. But I want you to start looking at the ‘why,’ because the classroom you step into next year or the year after is being shaped by the decisions being made today. In public education there will always be people who tell you what is impossible. They’ll tell you there isn’t enough funding for your students or that your planning time is a luxury rather than a necessity. Those ‘impossibles’ start to crumble the moment teachers find their collective voice. Change doesn’t happen by waiting for permission; it happens when we demand progress. At CEA, we live by a simple but unbreakable truth: when we fight together, we win together. You’re not just joining a profession; you’re joining a movement.”
NEA Aspiring Educator Chair Hanna St. Clair.
“When we go into education, we may not set out to become advocates or changemakers, but it is part of the job,” said guest speaker and NEA Aspiring Educator Chair Hanna St. Clair. “To build a system that works for everyone, where starting salary allows educators to need only one job, where our labor is fairly compensated, including for student teachers, where students experience a safe, just, and equitable education, we must come together. As a union we have something very powerful: one another.”
Echoing those sentiments, CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked, who serves as CEA AEP statewide organizer, said, “You’re not waiting until you have your own classroom to make an impact; you’re doing it every day. And that shows you understand something deeply important: that being an educator is not just about what happens in the classroom; it’s about the responsibility we carry to advocate, serve, and create a more just and equitable world. The educators you are becoming are exactly what our schools need right now: smart, thoughtful, brave, reflective, and unapologetically committed to students, your communities, public education, and each other. There will be moments that test you, but I hope you remember that you are part of this community. You will never have to do this work alone. Your union will always be here for you.”
Lifelong connections
For 2026 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh, who teaches at the same Danbury school where he was once a student, connections and community are the essence of teaching.
2026 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh chats with aspiring educators.
“The relationships you build with your students are meaningful and lasting,” the 19-year veteran told aspiring educators in his keynote address, describing his own encounters with former students who intern at his doctor’s office, teach alongside his wife, work at the local pet supply store and neighborhood grocery, serve on the city council, and are the plumbers and electricians who ensure the safety and integrity of his family’s home.
Sharing the trepidation he and his educator wife had when they first sent their kindergarten daughter to before-school care last fall, he explained, “We were nervous until we received the before-care letter from the program director—who was one of my former students!” He mused, “What other job has this? There’s no greater reward than to watch your students grow up and see who they become.”
Betesh offered CEA Aspiring Educators three pieces of advice: “First, teach the person more than the student. Second, be yourself. The person who is here tonight, who is smiling, laughing, and engaging with friends, is the exact person your students need in their classroom. And finally, be patient with yourself. To become great at this job takes effort. It takes experience. It takes missteps, and it takes reflection. You will become the teacher you want to be. But give yourself grace in getting there. I’m so excited to welcome you all as teaching colleagues in the near future.”
Shoutouts, standouts
At the Apple Banquet, St. Clair draped NEA Aspiring Educators stoles on the 15 graduating seniors preparing to step into teaching roles next school year. The celebration also showcased the contributions of current and future state AEP leaders as well as individual chapters and members.
The Monumental Membership Award was presented to the SCSU Future Educators Club for the highest percentage of membership among its school’s educator prep students. The club will display the traveling plaque at SCSU until April 2027. Other awards included the Local Excellence Award, given to Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization; Outstanding Local Leader, presented to Lola Lombardi of Quinnipiac University; and four Outstanding Member Awards, going to Meghan Zingler, UConn; Kevin Connelly, Mitchell College; Owen Brannelly, Quinnipiac University, and Alexander Gregory, SCSU.
Quinnipiac junior Alexandria Cloutier received the Gloria Brown Aspiring Educator Scholarship. She is pictured here with CEA Vice President and CEF President Joslyn DeLancey.
“Selecting this year’s recipients was challenging, as we were met with exceptional talent across the entire program,” said Sked.
In a new tradition, the banquet included the awarding of the Gloria Brown Aspiring Educator Scholarship. CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey—who also serves as president of the Connecticut Education Foundation, CEA’s charitable arm—gave some background on the scholarship.
“It’s hard to see yourself 50 years from now,” DeLancey told the crowd, “but from the time Gloria Brown started her teaching career, she was an active union member. She even met her husband at our Summer Conference in 1979, proving you never know who you might meet at a union event! She served on CEA’s Board of Directors, was our NEA PAC captain, stayed involved all the way through her teaching career, and then remained active in retirement as CEA-Retired secretary, vice president, and president. She was also very committed to ensuring our aspiring educators had a space and a home here at CEA. After she passed away, we knew we wanted to honor her legacy with a scholarship in her name.”
The aspiring educators finished off the night with karaoke, dancing, and S’mores.
Awarded annually to an aspiring educator who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, a commitment to public education, and strong union values, the Gloria Brown Aspiring Educator Scholarship this year went to Quinnipiac junior Alexandria Cloutier.
“Alex is someone who has lobbied, who has testified before legislators, who shows up for everything, and who is 100% committed to cultivating community and ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging,” DeLancey said.
As the banquet’s 100 guests cheered for their peers, Dias remarked, “Everyone in this room is bright, skilled, and has so much to offer the world. And you have chosen to be educators. You’re entering the profession at a time of budget pressures and chaos for public education, but there’s opportunity in chaos. You have done incredible advocacy, and now we have a large number of people talking about paid student teaching—not because I provided testimony, though I did; not because Joslyn or Elizabeth gave testimony, though they did. We all did that work. But the compelling voices were yours. So think about not just where you want to be a teacher but also an advocate.”
The banquet ended with karaoke, dancing, and a S’mores bar.
