Success Stories

I was one of those college students who ambitiously soaked up knowledge only to earn a degree that didn’t land me a desirable job. After graduation, I worked in a series of entry-level positions. When I entered unemployment due to management shifts in one of those positions, I knew I needed to find a new route. I stumbled upon a train named New Pathways and soon after embarked on a new journey.

The trip has been long and at times fatiguing, but it has afforded me much: multiple teaching certificates and teaching assignments, a counseling license, post-graduate studies at Princeton University, and even a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. I currently work as a high school special education teacher during the day, and as a licensed therapist some nights. I anticipate a school counseling position commencing this September and foresee doctoral preparation over the summer, so the journey continues. Thank you, New Pathways, for keeping me on the rail!

-Melissa R., High school special education teacher
 

I completed the New Pathways to Teaching Program in 2010 after graduating with a Marketing degree and spending several years in the corporate world as an account manager. 

When I decided to become an educator, it was not too difficult a decision and the New Pathways program made the journey enjoyable. During my first year of teaching I was able to use many of the strategies learned in class.

The classroom conversations were phenomenal and very helpful. I taught fifth grade for 5 years and I taught 8th grade math for one. I took the course credit option and completed my masters through Central Michigan University.

Getting my degree opened the door for me to become the curriculum coordinator for my school while I was still teaching. After teaching 8th grade I moved into a coaching position which I have been in for three years now.

Dawn W., Elementary Teacher
 

As the eldest daughter of a first generation immigrant family, cultural expectations influenced my decision to pursue a career in math and science. Two years into a competitive PharmD program, I realized my passion was not in medicine, but in the art of being a teacher that empowered the lives of young minds. The New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey program at NJCU gave me the opportunity to manifest my dream into reality by taking an alternate route to teaching. In the NPTNJ program, I was fortunate to learn from incredibly talented, experienced, and respected educators.

My professors guided me through the pedagogy behind setting high expectations in the classroom while engaging students with highly effective lessons through my instructional design and delivery. My experience at NJCU has been filled with growth and would not have been possible without the commitment, support, and staff of the NPTNJ program. As a New Pathways graduate, I am dedicated to giving back to my community as an innovative teacher that brings excitement and inquiry to the classroom. I currently teach 4th grade at Jersey City Global Charter School and love coming to work each day.

My days are spent closing the achievement gap by teaching my students how to think critically and set high standards for themselves while providing them with a rigorous academic core curriculum that challenges their creative talents and celebrates their diversity. I believe that all my students are stars. The New Pathways program at NJCU helped me find my light and shine on for my students and future.

-Marium T., Elementary teacher
 

Becoming a teacher was the most fulfilling career decision I’ve ever made. Being able to teach and encourage children to learn is such an amazing purpose in life. I would not have been able to attain this goal without the New Pathways program at NJCU. I can honestly say going back to school at NJCU has change my life forever!

-Patrick B., Elementary art teacher

When I made the decision to become a teacher, I did not know where to turn. I was eventually pointed in the direction of New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey at RCBC. What I found was a program that was devoted to me as a person and as a professional. Throughout Stage I and Stage II, I found a cohort of peers who were going through the same celebrations and struggles with me. I found professors who were willing and eager to teach me. And lastly, though I am now done with the program and have been teaching for two years, I retain a support system which has enriched my teaching career and my life.

-Chris Q., Elementary teacher