Beautiful fall weather and a chance to hang out with other members of CEA’s Aspiring Educator Program (AEP) brought nearly 60 students to Lyman Orchards for the program’s official kickoff. The day featured a variety of activities, games, contests, and food—as well as the always-popular corn maze.
“My favorite part of being in the AEP is really the community,” says Western Connecticut State University student Justin Farinango. “Ever since I joined, I’ve found there is such a big group of diverse aspiring educators, not just from my university but from other Connecticut universities too. It’s cool to learn about everyone’s different teaching interests, and it’s just great to be surrounded by people who have the same goals and aspirations as I do.”
CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked says that this year the AEP organizers were very intentional about mixing chapters for the kickoff activities to ensure students from different campuses would interact with one another.
“Going to events like these, it’s great to get a chance to talk to people from other other schools,” said UConn senior Aidan Karpicz.
(Above right, UConn Future Educators pose at the CEA Aspiring Educator Program’s kickoff.)
Aspiring Educators head into the corn maze at Lyman Orchards.
Stephanie Marino is the PR chair of UConn’s AEP chapter and said she came to the kickoff to be able to network with other students from other chapters.
“I think that networking is very important, especially being part of this union where we are advocating for ourselves and others. I want to know the people I’m advocating for and what everyone else’s opinions on various issues are so that I can better advertise and advocate.”
This year’s kickoff was UConn master’s student Lynna Vo’s first CEA Aspiring Educator event. As an undergrad, she had heard about CEA and the AEP but was busy with a variety of other clubs on campus.
Vo came out to the Lyman Orchard event at the urging of a close friend who serves as the UConn chapter’s vice chair.
“My favorite part of today has just been connecting with everyone—we’re all very diverse in our interests and what we want to pursue,” Vo said. “Every university is also so different, and connecting with other educators on the state level is awesome.”
Sked says the AEP uses the kickoff as a recruitment event and encourages members to bring their non-member friends with them.
Students from Western Connecticut State University gather for the CEA Aspiring Educators fall kickoff at Lyman Orchards.
“Two freshmen from UConn came who didn’t know each other, but it turns out they live on the same floor. The connections our events can bring about are always great to see,” she said.
The AEP has beautification events coming up at two Connecticut public schools and is planning a big advocacy project this year. January will bring a meeting with legislators, and in March students host a Read Across America event. Many chapters are organizing community service, advocacy, and professional development events of their own.
“The kickoff is the perfect way to get the students excited and talking about the events and projects we’re going to do throughout the year,” says Sked. “Eighty percent of the non-members who came to the kickoff joined before the end of the day.”
Annual membership in CEA’s AEP is only $25 per year, yet between student loans, unpaid student teaching requirements, edTPA, and more, pre-service teachers often have tremendous financial responsibilities and few resources. Teachers can sponsor an aspiring educator with a $25 gift that will help ensure a bright tomorrow for Connecticut’s public schools.
Karpicz explains, “The program allows me to participate in things I otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to experience like the CEA Summer Conference or Early Career Educator Conference. There are a lot of cool professional development opportunities—and the fact that I get to do it with my peers, people going through the same phase of life, is really great. It’s good to be part of something that gives you that opportunity to spread your wings a little bit.”
