5 Minutes With Our 2020 Scholarship Recipients

Karen Mungkay Shum graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021 and has recently started working as a middle school special education teacher. She received our 2020 "Pass the Torch" Elementary Education Scholarship for her video about her teacher, Ms. Tuti Lee.

1. How did the "Pass the Torch" Scholarship help you in your journey to becoming a teacher? How has your life changed since you received the scholarship?

"Why in the world did I sign up for grad school?!"

"Why am I doing this to myself?!"

These are some of the questions I’ve asked myself on my journey to become a teacher. The application process of making the video for the "Pass the Torch" scholarship anchored my heart in a place of gratitude for my high school teacher, Ms. Tuti Lee, who has been there for me, especially when I was going through a tough patch.

Since receiving the scholarship, I’ve shared my video with numerous people. Some were deeply touched by the way Ms. Tuti Lee has touched my life because she saw me for more than my failing grades. In turn, I was continuously reminded to be grateful by those whom the video has touched.

2. What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced this past year?

The pandemic has hit each of us hard its own particular way. I think part of the challenge this year is processing the collective grief that we all have experienced as a community and then also learning to process the grief as an individual in order to give my best while student teaching.

One of the challenges that I have faced as an individual last year was coming to terms with the fact that my student teaching will be online and may stay online for an unknown period of time.

3. What do you enjoy most about special education?

I enjoy the fact that students’ learning differences are seen as a springboard for creative solutions.

4. Many education students find their student teaching, or practicum, one of the most challenging, but rewarding, parts of their course. What tips do you have for those about to start their student teaching?

• Take self-care seriously. No joke. If you run yourself ragged, you won’t have much to offer to the people around you, much less the students.
• Create a schedule and keep to it. For those that struggle with time management, you are SO not alone. I struggle immensely with it! But in terms of student teaching, this tip has been a life saver.
• It’s okay to fail in teaching a lesson because that’s what student teaching is for. Even the best teachers have bad days. "Just keep swimming." - Dory

5. Complete the following sentence in your own words: "A good teacher is…"

A good teacher has eyes that see who the student is, ears to hear what the student is truly saying, and the means to push the student to where they can be.

Click here to watch Karen's scholarship-winning video.

Jason Mizerek received our 2020 "Pass the Torch" Scholarship for Secondary Education. He graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University, California, in 2021 and has just accepted a job as a middle school science teacher.

1. How did the "Pass the Torch" Scholarship help you in your journey to becoming a teacher? How has your life changed since you received the scholarship?

The "Pass the Torch" Scholarship permitted me to focus entirely on my school work instead of worrying about covering the next semester's tuition bill. I shared my video with friends and family, some of whom are former teachers, and it sparked interesting discussions about teaching as a profession and the positives that come out of working with students in the classroom.

2. What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced this past year?

This past year has been full of challenges. All of our classes are remote, and we have limited ability to interact with students directly. The biggest challenge is the lack of informal interactions with other teacher candidates. So much of my success has come from brainstorming with others, and working remotely drastically reduces those peer-to-peer conversations.

3. What do you enjoy most about science?

Science is an outlet for our innate curiosity. I enjoy teaching science because the subject aligns with what students will naturally think and wonder about. I also enjoy finding students who self-label as "not a science person" and then finding ways to trick them into liking science through engaging activities.

4. Complete the following sentence in your own words: "A good teacher is…"

A good teacher is someone who continues to learn. This teacher continues to learn about his or her students and about effective ways to connect with students. A good teacher models what it looks like to be a lifelong learner.

Click here to watch Jason's scholarship-winning video.