Jenna Depizzo

What year did you graduate from SRU and what was your major?
Early Childhood and Special Education (undergraduate), Spring 2014
K-8 Math and Science Education (graduate), Summer 2015...

What jobs have you landed?
I was very lucky to land my dream job teaching first grade at Bascom Elementary School (LaBrae Local Schools, Leavittsburg, OH) before I graduated with my undergraduate degree from the Rock! This is my second year as a Viking.

How did you prepare for the interview for the job you landed?
I visited the SRU Career Center many times to perfect my resume. I also made sure to go to job fairs and mock interviews to gain experience "selling myself" as the ideal candidate for a job in elementary education. Above all else, my years competing in the Miss America Organization are what truly prepared me to interview with ease and confidence.

What have you done well at that job?
In my first year, I was beyond ecstatic to launch my school's first ever STEM Day, inspired by Dr. DeCarlo's STEM Day project at Sharon City Schools, where I completed my student teaching. STEM Day was an incredible success. We were able to get families involved in their student's education, as well as make sure our kids were having fun exploring STEM related careers through hands on challenges. We are expanded STEM Day this year to be STEM Days, with four separate events during the school year!

What types of recognition, awards, honors or even activities have you been involved in?
I was honored to serve as the grand marshal during my graduation from my M.Ed. at Slippery Rock. I completed my final year in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Organization as Miss Clayland 2015 and a Top Ten finalist, earning enough scholarships to pay for my entire Master's program at SRU. I am very involved with my county's 4-H program, and am proud to serve my community through various other organizations.

What SRU experience or faculty influenced you and in what way?
Above anything else, the faculty at SRU made the biggest impact on my life beyond college. My professors inspired me daily to be the best teacher I can be for my students. I have a word jar in my classroom because of Dr. Findlan; I journal my funny and frustrating moments because of Mrs. Badgett; I am more creative with interventions because of Dr. Lynch; I teach my students to become scientists in all they do because of Dr. DeCarlo and Dr. Snyder. These professors and many more have made me the educator I am today, and I am so thankful for their continued hard work and dedication.

What else can you tell us about your success story that SRU students could learn from?
During my undergraduate program, I was constantly looking for opportunities that set myself apart from other teacher candidates. I was involved on campus, I volunteered in the community, and I served as an unofficial teacher's aide during every break. These activities kept me very busy, but paid off ten fold. When I graduated, I had 7 different job offers. This wasn't by accident or luck. Each of the administrators that called me to set up an interview made a connection to my resume because the activities I participated in during my time at Slippery Rock University. One called me to interview simply because she wanted to hear more about my spring break trip with the special education department to Costa Rica! By being involved in the campus and community, by going beyond the "bare minimum," I was able to gain the experiences that prepared me to be a qualified teacher candidate.