Gabrielle Szydlowski
Wittenberg University
Gabrielle Szydlowski, a third year student at Wittenberg University, is a student leader dedicated to ensuring equitable opportunities to quality K-12 education for all students. An early childhood education major, Gabby has spent the past three years working closely with faculty mentors and classroom teachers in local schools to investigate existing access barriers for families and to develop meaningful ways to educate and mentor young children. Most recently, Gabby is interested in bottom-up approaches to improving the education system. A dedicated community volunteer, she believes you can never stop helping or learning.
Personal Statement
I believe that every child deserves an equal opportunity to access quality K-12 education. To ensure that each student is given their best chance to succeed, it is essential for educators to take a bottom-up approach, both in and out of the classroom. By focusing on meaningful interactions with families and students we can better meet immediate needs and achieve academic improvement. I want to be a teacher so that I can be an agent of social change. As a Newman Civic Fellow, I hope to continue building my own understanding of the existing barriers to student success in K-12 education and finding ways to address them, hands-on, in my calling as a teacher. It is my goal to be an educator, a friend, a mentor, a role model. It is my greatest hope that my students will always know that I am there for them. I work diligently to make each day and experience count and I look forward to working with other Newman Fellows who share my passion for creating solutions and serving others. As we say at Wittenberg, "having light, I pass it on to others."
