Anna Pelosi is a senior at Denison majoring in educational studies and history. Pelosi chose to study education due to the connection she felt toward it, “School was always a very safe place for me, and I felt a large connection to my history teachers,” she said. After taking the U.S. Education System course in her second semester of freshman year, Pelosi decided to major in educational studies as she felt connected to the Education Department.
As an educational studies major, Pelosi has taken a variety of classes. In the course Critical Pedagogies, she was one of eight students as most of Denison’s courses feature smaller class sizes with a student-faculty ratio of 9 to 1. Looking back on the class she said, “I felt such a connection to everyone in the class.” The professor had a lasting impact on Pelosi as she said, “She made all of the assignments so engaging and interesting. I felt like I really learned a lot.” The professors try to differentiate learning so that each student can understand the material.
The Education Department is a place where Pelosi ends up spending a lot of her time, and she enjoys all the memories she has made there, especially when she studies with her friends “after hours”. Pelosi also works in the department and helps other students who are interested in studying education. “As a senior, it has been a joy to see how my former peers have gone on to successful careers inside or outside of the education field,” she said. One can always rely on Pelosi for advice and a smile when visiting the Education Department.
Over the summer Pelosi worked at a summer program in partnership with AmeriCorps. She was able to create lesson plans and teach in her own classroom to gain hands-on experience in the field of education! “I discovered this opportunity through both the Education Department and Denison’s Knowlton Center. Without either of those resources, I do not think I would’ve been able to find such an amazing opportunity,” she said.
With one semester to go, Pelosi reflected on her time as an educational studies major, “I like education as a major because of how tight knit the community is. I truly feel like education is a major where everyone really knows each other and tries to get to know each other as well.” After graduation Pelosi plans to obtain a master’s for Speech Pathology to “work with both children and adults with speech difficulty,” she said. She also aspires to be a high school history teacher.
After almost four years of studying the field of education and hoping to continue with her studies, Pelosi says, “There is no such thing as a ‘Perfect Education’, that applies to all students. We each as humans come from different backgrounds and life experiences that must be recognized when discussing education.”
