Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization members pose with their award. From left are Luciana Fohz, public relations; Diana Mikelis, co-vice president; Nina Burns, president; Kayla Thomson, co-vice president; Samantha Paradee, treasurer; and Becky Folz, secretary.
A chapter of the CEA Student Program, the Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization, has won the NEA Outstanding Local Excellence Award for a chapter with 101-200 members at the NEA Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The Quinnipiac Future Teachers beat out four other nominated university chapters from around the country due to their community outreach activities, political action, and teacher quality.
Nina Burns, Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization president, said, “We are very honored to be recognized by NEA. We have always been an active club thanks to our dedicated members, but getting involved with CEA has allowed us to become more politically aware. We credit that and our local partners with our ability to grow this year.”
In order to set themselves apart from other award applicants, the Quinnipiac students focused on improving their recruitment efforts this year, and successfully brought more students into the organization.
Chelsea Constantino, CEA Student Program state chair, praised the members of the Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization, saying, “We are incredibly proud of their dedication and hope they inspire all of our chapters through their success.”
While attending the NEA Student Leadership Conference this week, the Quinnipiac students have had the opportunity to learn from teachers already in the classroom, network with their peers from around the country, and find out more about NEA and what it means to be a union member. The group was excited about the chance to attend and worked hard to receive a grant from Quinnipiac’s student government and organize fundraising events to make the trip possible.
Very proud of my fellow Bobcats and future educators. Well done!