Education major loves wearing different hats
A multifaceted program at the UNC School of Education proved a perfect fit for December graduate Dezja Ishmeal.
Dezja Ishmeal has always known she wanted to work in education. Once she found the human development and family science program at the UNC School of Education, she knew where she would pursue her dream.
The human development and family science program gives Tar Heels a deep understanding of diverse contexts and relationships that influence human growth and development across the lifespan. The program prepares students for a future in human services, counseling, allied health and education, offering a variety of options for potential careers.
During her time in the program, Ishmeal learned how family systems and dynamics intersect with sociological, psychological and biological adolescent development. Those topics can contribute to a child’s development differently, like how they engage in school or extracurricular activities and how they think about the world around them. The faculty and professors in the program encouraged her to approach teaching, including how to show up for students and their families, from a critical lens.
An early start in the field
In high school, Ishmeal worked as a reading and math tutor in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She also served as a counselor for elementary and middle school students visiting her high school to learn more about different careers, such as culinary arts, creative writing or athletics.
“That sparked my passion for working more directly with communities because, in turn, I learned more about the struggles that are faced by certain communities by doing that groundwork,” said Ishmeal.
The transformative power of a teacher
A love of education and working with students remained constant, but Ishmeal’s love of teaching grew stronger the summer before her sophomore year at Carolina. That’s when she started working with Student U, a summer academy program for middle schoolers that partners with Durham Public Schools.
“I saw myself in a lot of the students there, and many of them had difficult things they were facing at home. They expressed those to me, upon my building a relationship with them,” said Ishmeal. “I realized how transformative having a good teacher is — one who is good not only at instructing, but also at being culturally responsive.”
After graduation, Ishmeal will join Teach for America on a two-year commitment to teach secondary English in Washington, D.C. Teach for America provides prospective teachers an alternate route for getting their teaching certification and license and aims to end education inequity.
After teaching for a few years, she plans to get her master’s in education policy and potentially a doctorate or law degree to serve as a policy analyst, work in education administration or teach at the university level.
“When you teach, while it is very academic, it also incorporates mentorship. You really learn the students and, if they can trust you, they come to you with things,” said Ishmeal. “A lot of people say a con of being a teacher is that you wear multiple hats, but I love that. I like that I can do multiple things like mentorship and youth development, while also teaching and instructing.”
