Scholarship Support Helped Sarah Brown ’21 Find Her Passion for Education, Helped Prepare Her High School Science Classroom for Future Students

For Sarah Brown ’21, her love for science developed at a very young age. Growing up with a father who was a research scientist, Brown was intrigued by the work he was doing in the labs, and was inspired to pursue a career in science just like him. 

When she arrived as a freshman at NC State, Brown decided to dive deeper into her passion for science, majoring in biology with aspirations of a career in research. 

“I loved taking science courses. After my first year, I realized that what I loved most about taking these courses was helping my peers to understand the material. I thoroughly enjoyed studying and helping my friends study,” she said. “It became obvious to me that I did not actually want to pursue a career in research, but what I wanted to do was teach science for the rest of my life.”

In high school, Brown spent most of her time working as a camp counselor and discovered how much she loved working with kids and teaching, but it wasn’t until after that first year of college that she realized she could make a career out of teaching. She transferred to the NC State College of Education and changed her major to secondary science education. 

“The College of Education welcomed me with open arms and I am so thankful that they helped me find my passion for education,” Brown said. 

As a student in the NC State College of Education, Brown was able to keep all of the credits she earned from her biology courses and says she is well prepared to enter her own classroom as a high school science teacher thanks to the preparation she received from the college. 

Brown says that being able to gain real experience in the field as early as her sophomore year was beneficial and helped confirm that teaching was the career she wanted to pursue. 

“I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to educate, I want to provide support and I want to create a safe space within schools where students feel comfortable being themselves,” she said.

The Apex, North Carolina native, who graduated this past May, has accepted a position as an Earth science teacher at Willow Spring High School in Fuquay-Varina, where she will get the opportunity to work alongside her cooperating teacher from her student teaching experience. 

“I am looking forward to spending my first year teaching at a new school, working alongside my cooperating teacher from my student teaching semester,” she said. “I hope that my job as an earth science teacher leads me to a career of educating the youth about climate change and sustainability.”

During her senior year, Brown was the recipient of the Ruth L. and Herbert E. Speece Scholarship, which helped take some of the financial burden away from Brown and her family and allowed Brown to complete her degree. Scholarship support has also allowed Brown to buy  supplies and necessary materials for her classroom this fall as she starts her teaching career. 

“I am so very grateful to have received this scholarship. Knowing that my journey as a new educator is supported by these generous donors means the world to me. I look forward to starting my career as a teacher this coming fall,” Brown said. 

As Brown prepares to start her teaching career, one of her biggest goals is to eventually obtain a licensure or certification in special education training in an effort to work toward creating an inclusive science classroom environment for all types of learners.