Sacha Kelly shares her thoughts on the need for greater diversity in the teaching profession. Ms. Kelly, honored at a reception on May 20, 2009, has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and a master’s degree from the University of Saint Joseph. She began her career as a mathematics teacher at Big Picture High School, Bloomfield, Conn. Posted June 25, 2009.

In order for the Connecticut public schools to be truly successful, it is critical that there are more talented teachers and school leaders of color, reflecting the diversity of the student population. Alma Exley’s scholarship program is helping to meet that essential need.

Would you believe that in my 28 years of education, attending public schools in New York City and private colleges in Connecticut, I have never been in a math or science class taught by a woman of color?!

When I work in schools today, I usually ask the students whether they have had women of color as math or science teachers. Sadly, most respond they have not. This unfortunate and commonplace absence of female teachers of color in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects fails to reflect the diversity of public-school students, and does a disservice to students of all backgrounds.

Happily, I know the presence of a mentor teacher can have a lasting impact. In high school, an African-American female teacher became my mentor. Although I never took a class with her, she showed me new possibilities for my future that I had not previously considered. I wish to thank her and the other extraordinary teachers who have had a positive impact in my life. As a result of being reached through their dedication to educate, I decided to teach to ‘pay it forward’ and inspire my students.

As an African-American woman with secondary licensure to teach high school mathematics, I am motivated to show diverse students a new image for math teachers and to encourage them to excel in STEM subjects and careers.

This spring I had the opportunity to teach geometry and algebra II as a student-teacher at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford. Then I was also privileged to be a part of the GO-GIRL program at Saint Joseph College, a STEM enrichment program for 7th grade girls. I’m sure the students I reached in these experiences didn’t need a woman of color to learn, but I think my teaching presence left a positive impression that they could be successful scholars. The successes from these two recent teaching experiences have further reinforced my passion to teach and my commitment to inspire students, especially those of diverse backgrounds.

Chi-Ann Lin, from Newington, Conn., is a social studies teacher at Staples High School in Westport, Conn. She was the 1999 recipient of the Alma Exley scholarship and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education with honors from the University of Connecticut. She serves on the scholarship program’s selection committee. Posted Sept. 7, 2008.

Being a teacher has provided me with some amazing opportunities. Several years ago, I volunteered to teach the East Asian Studies course at our high school. On a personal level, I felt that this was my chance to learn about my own ethnic background. Although my parents are immigrants from China and Taiwan, I knew very little about the history of their home countries having been born and raised in the United States. Although I still have much to learn, I am now able to understand further the struggles they have faced as they left their families, became citizens of the United States, and entered a vastly different culture.

My genuine interest in the region has led me to apply for various programs available to teachers. Last fall, I traveled to Japan as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund with a group of 200 teachers from each of the 50 states. As part of this fellowship, which was created to strengthen the relationship between Japan and the United States, we attended lectures given by educational and political leaders and had the wonderful opportunity to visit and observe classrooms in the elementary, junior high, and high schools. In addition, this past summer, I participated in a Yale PIER (Programs in International Educational Resources) Institute focusing on cultural exchange through trade along the Silk Road. The field study following this course led us to the cities of Xi’an and Dunhuang in western China, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Istanbul, Turkey. These incredibly rich experiences overseas have inspired me with ideas for the classroom, stories to share with my students, and new outlooks on the world.

As an Asian American, I feel an especially strong obligation to provide my students with an accurate and meaningful curriculum that will inform them of a region that is sometimes misunderstood. This commitment has strengthened further as I see more Asian American students enroll in the East Asian Studies course each year with desires of understanding their own culture and history. And each year, as I attend the Alma Exley Scholarship reception to congratulate the new recipients and to reunite with past recipients, I am again reminded of the important obligation we have as educators to serve as role models, especially for our minority students.

I also hope that my travels abroad will inspire my own students to explore the world beyond their hometowns and familiar borders. Perhaps one of the most important lessons I have learned as a teacher is the importance of being a lifelong learner. I therefore hope that this is just the beginning of my exploration of the world. These hopes that I hold for myself as well as my students are essentially the same hopes embodied in the spirit of the Alma Exley Scholarship, a program that encourages cultural understanding by supporting teachers of color in the public education system.

Desi Nesmith, who grew up in Bloomfield, Conn., was honored with an Alma Exley scholarship in 2000 and went on to receive bachelor’s, master’s and sixth-year degrees from the University of Connecticut. He began his career in 2002 as a fifth grade teacher in East Hartford. Since then, he has been succeeding in positions of broader responsibility in education, and he has been giving back by serving on the selection committee of the scholarship program. Posted August 19, 2008.

To say the Alma Exley Scholarship had an impact on my career would be an understatement. Shortly after receiving the award I realized that it was more than just a financial blessing, but a gift that keeps on giving.

When I began my teaching career at Mayberry Elementary School in East Hartford in 2002, I quickly realized the potential impact that I could have as a teacher of color on all of my students. It was the first time many of my students had a teacher of color. I saw an opportunity here to present myself to them as more than their classroom teacher, but as a positive role model that they could look up to.

It is important for students to see professionals who look like them. It helps to give them a sense of what they can become with hard work and diligence. When my kids had concerns — whether it be issues in school or problems going on in their home — they came to me for guidance because I took the time to make those personal connections with them. I took that responsibility very seriously.

After being recognized as Teacher of the Year in 2006 at Mayberry Elementary School in East Hartford, I was asked to be a Teacher in Residence at the Connecticut State Department of Education in the School Improvement Unit. There I worked with priority school districts around the state and on various state department initiatives such as the Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative. At the end of the year the Connecticut State Board of Education recognized me for my contributions to the profession of teaching.

The following year I was offered a job in the office of the assistant superintendent in Hartford, where I work with teachers modeling and sharing best practices. While there, I am serving on the steering committee for Powerful Practices for Change and Reform, a research-based process that is being implemented with a cohort of elementary schools to improve student achievement. Most recently I have enrolled in the University of Connecticut’s administrators preparation program, which will enable me to become a building principal.

The successes that I have had thus far can be attributed to having a strong support system that includes the Exley family and the family of recipients who have joined the ranks as Exley Scholarship award winners. Woody Exley has followed my career each step of the way, and we regularly stay in contact with each other. My aim has been and continues to be to make the Exley family proud of the decision they made to embrace me all those years ago.