Emily Wujcik

1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held?

I went to the wonderful Slippery Rock University and earned a B.S. in Education with a dual major in Early Childhood and Special Education with a minor in Aquatics. I went on to Indiana University to earn a M.S. with a major in Sports Management. I have been working at Saint Louis University since the Fall of 2017. I currently teach many different certification classes throughout the year such as CPR/AED/First Aid and Lifeguarding. Additionally, I teach a first-year Freshman introduction class each Fall semester. 

 

2. Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why. 

During my junior year when I was out at a middle school, I was teaching a math lesson and it was one of my first few days that I was there. One student seemed to be very skeptical of me. Often when they were doing independent work, he would sing a few different country songs quietly to himself. When I went over to see how he was doing and see if I could help, he dismissed me right away. Then once I finished the lyrics to one of the songs he was singing, he immediately looked up and smiled at me. He shared that he didn't think I would know the song, but that since I did know it I was "cool". From then on, he showed me the same respect I gave him and he turned out to be one of the most involved students during our class! 

 

3. Name an SRU faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why. 

Mr. Ogoreuc will always be one of my favorite faculty members. We met at the majors and minors fair, and he helped me understand more about the Aquatics minor that I ended up adding. It was one of the best decisions that I made while at SRU. Mr. Ogoreuc, or Coach, as I usually call him, was instrumental in getting me into the world of Aquatics. He introduced me to many people within the field and through his guidance I was able to become a GA for the NDPA (National Drowning Prevention Alliance) while earning my Master's degree. Coach showed me how important it is to have qualified and excited people in this field to teach people how to be safer in and around the water. 

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education? 

Ever since I was young, I always knew I wanted to help people learn; and like many, I played "teacher" with my friends and family where I would have to teach them something. Moving through high school though, I found that I really liked working with students and knew I wanted to pursue a degree in education, and I knew that Slippery Rock University has fantastic educational programs. 

 

5. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? 

Working with college students, I am able to watch and help students grow, learn, and become who they were meant to be. I get to support them in their academics, in their on-campus work, and I have seen many students grow to be a fantastic Physical Therapist, a Pilot, an Occupational Therapist, and more. I feel honored to work with these students and be a part of their learning process. 

 

6. What makes a great teacher? 

Many things make a great teacher, but for me, the top among them I believe is compassion. We all need to have compassion for each other and ourselves. I believe that showing empathy and understanding for one another leads to a stronger relationship with your students and grows trust with each other as well. It is also important to know that there will be days where you may need to change course and to give yourself the grace to do something totally different than what you had in your original lesson plan. This year has been tough on many students, so I scrapped what I had planned one day and we took time to do some self-care activities instead of class - that's just what we all needed (myself included!).