College of Education and Human Development

Meet Gabi: Early childhood professional education

"I've had a great experience with the faculty here at Western. All of the professors in the program have been wonderful. I've enjoyed all of them."

What made you choose early childhood education?

I have always had a love for working with children and being around them. I did Big Brother Big Sister in high school and I just fell in love with having that relationship with children, so I had to be a teacher.

Have you participated in any field experiences?

I had an internship at Morris Bridge in a second grade classroom and I'm currently at Tutor Time Daycare where I'm working with three year olds.

What has your experience been like with faculty?

I've had a great experience with the faculty here at Western. All my professors have been great. I've enjoyed all of them, especially with my freshman year being online. It was a is adjustment for sure, but the teachers are very helpful and I've had a great experience with them.

What support have you received from faculty as a student athlete?

The faculty here has been amazing. Being a student athlete, I'll miss Tuesdays and Wednesdays sometimes if we have an away game, but I've had no problems. They've all been super willing to give me extra time if I need to, or they've been available through email to help me out.

What is it like being on the basketball team?

Being on the team here, it's been amazing. I've had great teammates, great coaches and I've loved every second.

What's the culture like on the team?

The culture of the team is very welcoming. When I first got here I was a walk-on and they did not make me feel any different. We always make sure that we do things with new teammates to make them feel like they're already on the team, like they've been on the team for a while.

What are you doing as team captain?

I'm just trying to be be that teammate that's always there for my team when they need anything. I also like to be the vocal leader. I always like to be the one that if our energy is low, I try to bring the team up.

What is your favorite part about being on the team?

My favorite part about being on the team is probably just the built-in best friends that you have. When I'm done, I'm going to miss being around the same girls every day and going through the hard sprints together. The sprints suck but we do it together and it's just a relationship like no other.

What's been your best memory as a member of the team?

I would have to say the experience of traveling to Portugal and Greece with the team. I'll always remember that.

What is this year's goal for yourself?

For myself, my goal would be just to take everything in and enjoy my senior year. I want to enjoy everything, because I won't get this basketball experience back. So I'm just trying to be positive about everything and be the best teammate I can be.

Early childhood unified education at WMU

WMU’s nationally accredited Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Unified Education (formerly Early Childhood Professional Education) prepares candidates for teaching and leadership positions in settings that serve children from birth through 3rd grade. Experienced faculty members mentor candidates to develop an effective balance of research, theory and practice in diverse educational settings. WMU offers multiple clinical experiences and a final internship which are spread across infancy through third grade and take place in private and public settings within diverse communities.

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