ShaKayla Moran will graduate this May with a degree in Biology with an emphasis in secondary education and as one of Boise State’s 2021 Top Ten scholars. The Top Ten Scholar Award is one of the highest academic honors granted to Boise State undergraduate students each year. Moran’s experience as a first-generation college student and her work in the IDoTeach program have honed her academic excellence and influenced the kind of science educator she hopes to become.
“Being a first generation student at Boise State has taught me how to be resilient and persevere,” said Moran. “IDoTeach has prepared me to be an educator because they provide the opportunity to get in the classroom earlier, and having more experience makes you a better teacher. The program has helped me prepare inquiry-based and innovative lessons, which I think are really important in the sciences, and I hope to bring that experience to my students.”
Being selected as a Top Ten Scholar has capped a challenging, yet meaningful undergraduate experience for Moran. “To me, being a Top Ten Scholar means that all the work that I’ve put in, working toward my degree and student teaching has been realized now,” said Moran. “It’s like a culminating celebration of all the work of achieving my degree, which really means a lot, especially being a first-generation student.”