“Nothing prepared me for the Legislature more than teaching middle school,” alumna Heather Carter (MEd '02) says. Carter, who is a clinical associate professor at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and assistant dean for ASU’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation, is also a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, serving Legislative District 15. Many of us struggle with finding enough hours in the day — Carter doesn’t seem to experience that same struggle.

There is no deficit of news about Arizona’s teacher shortage and the crisis our schools are facing. And if you think about specific needs school districts have, that talent pool becomes even smaller. This is especially true when it comes to teachers trained in STEM. Science, technology, engineering and math subjects are vital for our elementary, middle school and high school students to learn and understand as they prepare for 21st-century jobs and careers

Bobbi Doherty is not your typical ASU graduate. She was in her 40s when she decided to switch her career path and turn to education. In addition to her roles of wife and mother, Doherty has managed to complete her coursework, student teaching and the necessary Arizona educator certifications. Most recently, she secured a job at a local school district while maintaining a GPA to qualify her to graduate summa cum laude.

The ASU Prep Poly STEM Academy in Mesa tied for the top spot in Arizona school ratings for 2017, based on the final letter grades and scores recently released by the state Department of Education.

The K-4 charter school, located on ASU’s Polytechnic campus, and Ocotillo Ridge Elementary School in Pinal County tied for the highest percentage in scoring based on a formula that weighs proficiency in the AzMERIT standardized tests, as well as improvement in scores of some subgroups of students, and other factors, such as absenteeism.

Niraj Javia graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in engineering and quickly found work as a sales engineer at an electric company. Javia traveled to manufacturing plants all over the Southeast U.S., selling equipment to help the plants become more efficient. “I met with thousands of engineering teams and there was no diversity whatsoever,” he said.

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