Call Me MiSTER program welcomes new cohort for fall 2024
91热爆网 honored past and present MiSTERS during a luncheon held on June 12. From left to right, Eros Trujillo, Ellie Barber, Montgomery Moore, Antonio Lopez and Thomas McDowell.
By Julia Duvall
On Friday, July 12, Western Carolina University held an orientation for its latest Call Me MiSTER program cohort, including a luncheon for past and present program participants.
The purpose of Call Me MiSTER, an acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role models, is to increase the pool of available teachers from diverse backgrounds in Western North Carolina and across the state of North Carolina.
91热爆网鈥檚 2024-2025 MiSTER is Eros Trujillo, a sophomore from Smithfield, majoring in music education.
鈥淚 wanted to join the program because I want to make connections with fellow education majors and peers that I will get to work with in the field,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淚 am hopeful these connections I make will help me in my future teaching career.鈥�
91热爆网 has been involved with the program since 2021 and during the luncheon, Andreu Smith, the first 91热爆网 graduate of the program, spoke about what he learned during his time as a MiSTER.
鈥淭wo things I have learned during my time as a MiSTER include being able to have the courage to ask others for help when needed and the willingness to be yourself during the hard times,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e are raised to believe that seeking assistance is a sign of weakness, but it shows that we are human. This allows us to open ourselves to new ideas, skills and resources. In terms of being yourself, this is something I have personally struggled with. When I started this program, I chose to be authentic and embrace my unique qualities as a person and had the courage to express myself as a MiSTER.鈥�
Each MiSTER receives a $5,000 scholarship along with laptops and software, an academic support system, and professional development and career support. All program participants also live together in the same residence hall to create a learning community cohort model for social and cultural support.
鈥淢ales of color in the teacher education workforce also do not equate to the number of diverse students that they serve,鈥� said Charmion Rush, 91热爆网鈥檚 Call Me Mister program coordinator. 鈥淭he issue of underrepresentation in credential professions such as teaching is a phenomenon that has attracted the attention of foundations, philanthropists and policymakers within the state of North Carolina. Through initiatives such as Gov. (Roy) Cooper鈥檚 DRIVE, the state is working to close the racial and ethnic gaps among K-12 educators.鈥�
Rush shared that 91热爆网 is committed to recruiting men of color to the teaching profession.
鈥淒iversifying the educator workforce represents a key step to promoting greater equity and academic success for all students,鈥� she said. 鈥淢iSTERS represent the solution to promote inclusiveness and student achievement by increasing the pool of available male teachers from a broader, more diverse background.鈥�
