Katiana Harvey: 2016-17 Dean's Scholarship

At the 2016-2017 MAT Recognition Ceremony, Master of Arts in Teaching Multiple Subject Credential Candidate Katiana Harvey was awarded a 2016-2017 Dean's Scholarship for her academic achievement and her commitment to developing her skills and knowledge as a new teacher. Below, Katiana shares her thoughts about her educational journey and her chosen career.

October 2016

During my undergraduate career at UC Santa Cruz, I became particularly interested and invested in the system of education and how it operates in our society. Through my school work, I read and studied about how students’ race, class, gender, sexual orientation and geographical location can intersect and affect the educational resources and opportunities they are given in school. Additionally, in my work in both an elementary school setting and a collegiate setting, I saw how students’ educational opportunities, or lack there of, affect their attitudes about school and their overall ability to do well in school.

My experiences at UC Santa Cruz led me to want to pursue a Masters of Arts in Teaching and my Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. I decided to do the UC Irvine’s MAT program because I believe that the program will help me become the educator I aspire to be. The program’s emphasis on inequities in education, English Language Learners and student knowledge will help me gain the skills necessary to teach in the social justice oriented way I want to. Additionally, the program’s attention towards teacher inquiry and research will teach me how to be a reflective educator and lifelong learner.

Thus far, I have had really positive experiences at UC Irvine. I really appreciated the MAT interview process and appreciated that we were given the space to participate in conversations about contemporary educational issues. I am excited to continue those conversations throughout the program. Over the next year in the MAT program, I hope to continue to learn how the system of education shapes children’s lives. Additionally, I want to continue to gain the skills necessary to help create social change within my classroom. Eventually, I want to teach fourth or fifth grade. I want work with other teachers and administrators in my school to create a social justice orientated curriculum that helps to teach students how to recognize injustices and work collaboratively to come up with solutions for contemporary problems.

I want to become a teacher because I believe that teachers are agents of social change. I think that teachers make a difference in the lives of students, both positively and negatively. I want to have a positive effect on the lives of students and help them become more compassionate people. 
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Dean Richard Arum and Katiana Harvey