Education Engagement Day a new opportunity for connection, collaboration and career preparation

The College of Education was abuzz March 10 as it hosted its first-ever Education Engagement Day, creating new opportunities for students, faculty, staff and school partners to connect, collaborate and prepare students for careers in education.

The event, a collaboration between the Office of School Partnership and Community Engagement and the University of Alabama Career Center, was held the day before Education Interview Day to give students a valuable chance to hone their interview skills, explore education career opportunities and connect with potential employers.

Education Engagement Day kicked off with a networking breakfast. College faculty were able to engage with representatives from the Tuscaloosa County School System, Tuscaloosa City Schools, Frisco ISD, Proper ISD and Baltimore City Schools.

“We are so grateful for this event and opportunity,” said Chartis Hunt, chief human resource officer for Prosper ISD. “We’ve long awaited a moment to directly connect with the faculty of the College of Education and look forward to other opportunities in the future.”

Throughout the day, students like sophomore social science student Kasey Kolke took part in mock interviews at the UA Career Center, strengthening their interview skills and gaining key insight to how the process works prior to Education Interview Day.

“I got to share some ideas and see what it’s like to answer interview questions,” she said. “It was a great experience.”

Education Engagement Day concluded with a networking mixer, which was “a great opportunity for everyone to come together and make final connections,” said Dr. Demitrius Barksdale, director of school and community partnership and innovation. “We are so grateful to everyone who was able to attend and participate in each event.”

Barksdale said several school systems have already reached out to express their interest in working with the College beyond Education Engagement Day, which speaks volumes toward the success of the event.

The College is already looking forward to next year’s Education Engagement Day and to creating even more opportunities for collaborations like these in the future.

A special thank you to Dean Joyce Alexander, Dr. Joy Burnham, Dr. Nicole Swoszowski, Elisa Cerrina, Anna Bigham, Kenston Nelson, Honorine Ntoh Yuh, Elizabeth Wyatt, Kaitlyn Balding, Dr. Schernavia Hall, Jennifer Phifer, Timothy Smith, Tammy Donaldson and our K-12 partners for their contributions to this special day.