Senior Spotlight: Education Majors

Two of Westminster’s graduating seniors will head back to school in August, not to pursue graduate school or professional programs, but to teach their own students. Meredith Bolen and Maria Donovan give their thoughts on the Westminster College experience and look forward to their futures of teaching young minds.

Dr. Aulgur with Meredith

Meredith Bolen ’16

Bolen is a quadruple major, three of them in the education:  Elementary Education, Middle School Education, Secondary Education, and History with an independent study in Geoscience Research. “I am invested and interested in the education of the youth. I want them to succeed in every endeavor they peruse. I am passionate about education and learning and I hope to transfer that love of learning to students.”

She will work at the Rwamagana Lutheran School in Rwanda after graduation. While having previously visited the country on two separate occasions, she said she fell in love with the people, land, and culture. Bolen plans to return to Houston, Texas after teaching in Rwanda to complete her master’s in Secondary Education for Social Studies.

 How did Westminster College prepare you for your future career?

Westminster College provided me the opportunity to receive my education, travel to Rwanda, and find a job that I know I will love for after graduation. Without Westminster College, I do not know where I would be teaching.

Maria Donovan ’16

Donovan chose to attend Westminster College because of its strong academic background, especially in her two areas of interest, English and Education. “Westminster also helped make college more affordable by awarding me the Churchill scholarship, which definitely sealed the deal.” She was inspired to become a teacher by one of her own in high school. He inspired Donovan and pushed her to challenge herself, and she now wishes to do the same to her future students.

Donovan will begin teaching at the St. Joseph Cathedral School, a K-8 Catholic School in Jefferson City in August. She may one day pursue a master’s degree in English and teach at the high school or collegiate level.

How did Westminster College prepare you for your future career?

“The Education and English Departments have been crucial in preparing me for my career as an English teacher. The Education department, particularly Dr. Bumgarner and Dr. Cowles, helped me develop as a teacher in their classes by having me practice teaching many lessons and preparing me for the reality of life in the classroom through their coursework. [The department] taught me how to be a good writer and reader, and also modeled how to be an effective English teacher.”

Article composed by Karley Long ’18, Communications Intern for The Center for Career Development