Future Woodring Scholars discuss college experiences, plans

Future Woodring Scholars, freshman students at Western Washington University considering pursuing degrees in teaching and education, gathered for a mixer event Tuesday, Nov. 25, in Miller Hall Room 5 on Western’s campus.

The mixer was organized to allow students from two separate cohorts of the Future Woodring Scholars program to meet each other and discuss how the program is going.

“I believe teachers are the first step to an inspiration,” said Sung Yoon, a Future Woodring Scholar. “Children are 20 percent of the population, but 100 percent of the future. Teachers are the people who shape the future.”

Students are placed in freshman interest groups for education-based classes.

“Freshman interest groups are helpful as a good starter for what we need to get into the teaching education program,” student Angela Nako said. “I would be confused without it.”

The students were able to chat with each other and with Woodring College of Education Dean Francisco Rios at the event. Rios discussed his experience in college, issues teachers’ currently face, steps students must take to become a teacher, diversity in classrooms, the importance of knowing a foreign language or going abroad, and encouraging students to be endorsed in programs like English as a Second Language or Special Education programs.

“Ask yourselves, ‘How am I developing myself as a teacher, how am I developing myself as a good person, and how am I developing my relationship to communities, states and nations?’” Rios said. “I hope that as you go through the college experience you are thinking about all these things.”