Aidan Schaefer

2023 "Pass the Torch" Scholarship Recipient

“I was just so amazed. I asked her, I’m like, ‘How do you do it?’ And she told me, ‘If students are not learning in the way that we teach, we need to teach them in the way that they learn.’ And that really changed my mindset.”

When Aidan Schaefer first started working as a behavioral technician for a child with autism, he felt way out of his depth: he had no experience supporting children with special needs and was feeling frustrated, physically exhausted, and burnt out from his job. Then he met Miss Emily. A special education teacher for students with moderate to severe autism, through her patience, positivity and resilience, Miss Emily achieved astonishing results where other teachers had given up. Her inspiring example motivated Aidan to not only become a teacher himself, but to be a better human.

Here is Aidan's story about Miss Emily, the teacher who inspired him.

Want to hear the stories of the other nine finalists? Visit our 2023 Scholarship Finalists page.

Thinking of applying to this year's program? Learn more on our Teachers Test Prep "Pass the Torch" Teacher Scholarships page.