Seniors Honored in Student Teacher Celebration

Gwynedd Mercy University hosted its annual Student Teacher Completer Celebration on Monday, April 28, honoring student teachers who completed their programs and are preparing to make a difference in classrooms across the region. Students, faculty, families and student teaching supervisors were in attendance and had the opportunity to also make remarks.

"The biggest thing that has resonated with me is that I was a student who went through what sometimes people refer to as a 'broken system.' When I came to GMercyU, everyone immediately opened their arms and we became a family," Emma Larson '25 said. "The way the [faculty and staff] make us the people and educators we are. My student teaching was an experience I couldn't have done without my supervisor. To be able to have someone say 'you are doing amazing' is the biggest thing we need as educators."

Among those recognized was Toni Robinson, a soon-to-be graduate and the first recipient of the Wissahickon School District Scholarship. Recognizing the importance of teachers who are representative of their student body, GMercyU and the Wissahickon School District partnered with an anonymous donor to annually provide one deserving student a four-year, full tuition scholarship to attend GMercyU as a PreK-4 Education major who will then return to Wissahickon School District as a K-4 teacher. There have been four recipients so far, with Toni being the first graduate the first student and will return to Wissahickon as a teacher this fall.

As part of the presentation, students received a certificate and a GMercyU teaching pin, which GMercyU Certification and Placement Specialist/Adjunct Professor Patrick McAleer, EdD encouraged the soon-to-be Distinctive Mercy Graduates to wear proudly on their lanyard after accepting their first job.