CEHD approves AACTE Holmes Honors Program

April 24, 2019

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The College of Education and Human Development now has an approved American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Holmes Honors Program. The program provides support to undergraduate students from underrepresented populations in teacher education programs by providing networking, leadership and professional development opportunities, mentoring, and career support.  

The inaugural cohort is made up of the WMU Future Educator Program Pickard Family Fund and Advia Scholars. The students meet twice per month as a group, meet one on one with their FEP coordinator, Marcy L. Peake, and volunteer weekly in Kalamazoo Public Schools. 

Five members of the cohort, Daven Carter, Jovaughn Carver, De Shaun Cornelius, Sarah Giramia and Marcus Moore had the opportunity to attend the 2019 AACTE annual meeting/conference in Louisville, Kentucky in February where they attended various sessions and networked with professionals from across the country including WMU faculty, staff and CEHD Dean, Dr. Ming Li. The group even ended up presenting unexpectedly when the presenter of a session regarding the experiences of Black and African American teacher preparation students cancelled.  

The experience of attending the conference had an impact. “I have never been in a room this full as a member of the majority,” said one attendee, and “there are faculty doing what I want to do, who look like me,” said another. The scholars also learned important lessons about becoming a teacher like the importance of taking time to maintain one’s personal well-being, to be clear and direct when discussing behavior with students, and the importance of research in improving the field of education. 

The CEHD is committed to creating a diverse teacher preparation pipeline and the addition of the Holmes Honors Program strengthens the opportunities available to diverse teacher preparation students at WMU.