CTK Alumna Getting Closer to Her Goal of Positively Impacting Others as a Teacher Kendra Collay, CTK ’21 is getting closer every day to achieving her goal of becoming a teacher. The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) senior is on track to graduate this spring with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and has already gained extensive student teaching experience over the last few years. She plans to take the Illinois Teacher Certification Content test this summer while working as a lead teacher at a daycare center, with a goal of securing her first full-time grade school teaching assignment in the fall. It has required hard work and perseverance to get her this far, and she intends to “never give up and continue to live out my dream of making a positive impact by helping others.” Having the full support of her family has helped Kendra in her pursuit of a college education and career as a teacher. She calls her college choice of UIC “a tiebreaker” as two aunts attended UIC and two attended DePaul University. Although she stayed close to home, it was important for her to live on campus to foster her independence. She is grateful to be able to keep her student loans minimal, due to the combination of financial aid, an ECE scholarship, and money earned from her part-time and summer jobs. Her busy final semester schedule includes two classes in her major on Wednesday, unpaid student classroom teaching on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 25-30 part-time work hours including weekends at a Mariano’s grocery store. Her classroom experience to date has reinforced her desire to work with children. Working alongside experienced teachers, she sees different teaching and classroom management styles to draw from in cultivating her own. Kendra is often tasked with helping students individually or in small groups with their reading or math development. She related how she loved seeing the positive impact of her work with 1st grade students over the last year. “I worked closely with a couple of 1st graders who were below grade level readers. On their recent reading assessment test, one improved 50 points and the other 70 points! It made me smile to know what I’m doing is making an impact on my students – that’s one of my biggest goals in becoming a teacher. It also made me cry, because when I was young, I struggled with math and reading, and I know how it feels to be pulled out of class. It was important for me to let my students know it was okay to need additional help, and to show them the positive growth that resulted from it!” Kendra’s CTK experience was a positive one, but required her personal perseverance and the encouragement and assistance of the CTK teachers and staff. She was selected as a National Honor Society member and stepped out of her comfort zone by becoming a majorette flag girl. Her first Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) assignment was at the William Blair law firm in the HR department, which enhanced her organizational and teamwork skills. After expressing her desire to go into education, she worked her last few years at the St. Catherine - St. Lucy grade school assisting in a 2nd grade classroom. That experience reinforced her interest in becoming a teacher, and boosted her resume with additional years of classroom experience. During her time as a CTK Gladiator, she was particularly proud of starting a girls’ group called, “Thee Positivity Corner.” “Especially important during COVID, we were able to build a community providing support, mentorship, and affirmation.” She loved being a positive light for others, and relies on that community of CTK friends, teachers, and family members to help her stay positive and continue to grow to this day. Kendra intends to live out her purpose and follow God’s path by continuing to help others. In the future, she plans to open her own daycare center. The soon-to-be college graduate and future teacher offered the following advice to current CTK students, “Never give up on your dreams. You will face struggles and obstacles along the way, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.“ Print