Kamille Montgomery 鈥�24, G鈥�25 is staying on campus to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in literacy education (birth-grade 12).
Building a diverse teacher workforce is a top priority for 麻花影视鈥檚 鈥攁nd students like . A member of the school鈥檚 program, which recruits and retains underrepresented teachers, she understands the importance of students seeing themselves in their classroom role models.
鈥淚 want my students to know that we share a cultural background,鈥� says Montgomery, a member of the Baldanza Fellows program, which recruits and retains underrepresented teachers.
鈥淚 want my students to know that we share a cultural background,鈥� says the Milwaukee native, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in inclusive early education and special education (birth-2nd grade). 鈥淭hey should be able to relate to me.鈥�
Montgomery also wants to foster a love for reading in her students. Hence her decision to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in . She鈥檚 particularly excited to take Early Intervention for Children鈥檚 Reading Problems (RED 626), focusing on students who are considered 鈥渓earning disabled,鈥� 鈥渞eading disabled鈥� or 鈥渄yslexic.鈥�
鈥淗aving access to different opportunities is why I鈥檓 staying at 麻花影视,鈥� says Montgomery, who also volunteers for the peer-mentoring group in . 鈥淚 enjoyed my undergraduate experience here so much that I didn鈥檛 think I could replicate it anywhere else.鈥�
Montgomery was a high school senior when an internship at an elementary school sparked an interest in teaching. It didn鈥檛 hurt that she was surrounded by several encouraging female educators and principals, including her great-grandmother, who founded a preschool.
鈥溌榛ㄓ笆� feels like home,鈥� Montgomery says, 鈥渂ecause it enables people of all ages, backgrounds and identities to come together, be ourselves and be supported by people who understand us.鈥�
