You never learn to ride a bike if you never muster up the courage to get on and try. Many times, the best way to learn is by diving in, headfirst.

IU Northwest graduate students in the Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) are doing just that, all while making a profound impact on the Northwest Indiana community. Beginning in June 2020, the IU Northwest School of Education partnered with the Gary Community School Corporation (GCSC) to fully-license teachers who are working under emergency permits.

What began as a small group of teachers soon grew into a full-fledged program with dozens of graduate students and multiple school districts involved, now also including the School City of East Chicago.

“We’re providing for the [graduate] students an outstanding opportunity to learn more about becoming a teacher of excellence and to meet the varied needs of their students,” Dean of the School of Education Mark Sperling said.

UTEP has had tremendous success, after less than a year in operation. Sperling said every graduate student has received a position after completing their degree, due in part to what they learned while teaching within the IU Northwest program.

“Our emphasis here is to help teachers learn how to be teachers,” Sperling said. “They have the content already. They just need to learn the professionalism of teaching.”

While UTEP has certainly had visible impacts for university graduate students, the program truly focuses on educating and mentoring school children. Sperling said, at the end of the day, what matters most is how children will benefit from outstanding teachers.

Graduate student Hector de la Rosa embodies the traits of a “teacher of excellence.” While he began his career as an entertainment journalist, he soon realized his passion was mentoring children. De la Rosa seeks to help and guide his students each day as a secondary social studies teacher with GCSC.

“It’s important to help every student, to empower them not only through education, but through mentorship,” he said. “[I] help guide them and navigate them through life.”

De la Rosa is far from the only UTEP participant who has made a profound impact on the lives of primary and secondary school students. Michael McCoy, who also works for GCSC, teaches both English language arts and social studies.

Much like de la Rosa, McCoy is committed to making a difference in the lives of urban students. “I hope to become a role model to my students. I want to create an atmosphere where [students] can be themselves,” he said.

Both de la Rosa and McCoy report an excellent experience with UTEP. “My experience in this program has been wonderful. I am very thankful for that,” McCoy said. “IU Northwest has provided us with many resources and means of support that have been necessary to help us move forward.”

UTEP has no shortage of dedicated teachers who strive to have long-lasting impacts on their students. De la Rosa and McCoy encourage anyone with a passion for educating children and a desire to make a difference to look into teaching. “Just showing up has an impact,” de la Rosa said. “The key is consistency.”

With so many exceptional participants and interested school districts, the sky’s the limit for UTEP. Sperling is excited about the current success of the program and the long-standing impact it will make in this region. “Our students are educating our region’s future leaders,” Sperling added. “Their students are learning more than just math and English, but important life-skills for success: leadership, self-confidence, initiative, and drive.”