High school students from across the state gathered for the annual Educators Rising State Conference and Competitions, an event designed to inspire and support students interested in pursuing careers in education.
Sponsored by the University of Iowa College of Education, the Iowa State Education Association, and Educators Rising Iowa, the conference drew approximately 120 participants from eight school districts across the state of Iowa.
This included students from the following districts: Cedar Rapids Community School District; Clear Creek Amana Community School District; College Community School District; Columbus Community School District; Council Bluffs Community School District; Davenport Community School District; Iowa City Community School District; and West Liberty Community School District
The range of students in attendance brought a unique energy to the event, as aspiring educators from large urban districts and small rural schools came together to explore their shared passion for teaching.
"These students come from different geographical regions in the state and different size schools," says Mark McDermott, associate dean for undergraduate education and educator preparation. "It not only gives them a different perspective about different places in Iowa, but also different sizes of schools and different structures of schools. It's pretty cool to hear the experiences and backgrounds of other students."
Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Iowa City Community School District and keynote speaker, Carmen Gwenigale, opened the day with a powerful message. She encouraged students to reflect on their "why" – the reason behind their passion for education – and to carry that motivation forward as they plan their futures in teaching.
"Part of your Educators Rising lessons, you are asked 'What is your why?' Why do you want to become a teacher? Why do you want to go into education? Why do you want to work with students?" Gwenigale says. "Not only do you have to remember your why, but what do you do consistently, daily, to sustain your why? Education is not easy. It is not just a job to check a box. It's a calling. You are choosing to be present in this space every day. You're choosing to be with your students. You're not just teaching. You are the counselor. You're the best friend. You are the go-to. You are the person to lean on. You are the person that they spend most of their day with."
Throughout the day, students engaged in four interactive sessions led by education faculty, staff, and students from the UI College of Education, Educators Rising, and partners around the state. Attendees also had the opportunity to sit in on a college class, gaining firsthand insight into the academic setting of future educators.
The conference also featured competitions showcasing students’ creativity and commitment to the field. High school participants presented their personal journeys toward choosing education as a career, explored innovative ways to integrate artificial intelligence into curriculum, and shared original children’s literature they wrote and illustrated.
Each of the three competitions, including Creative Lecture (Ted Talk), Educators Rising Moment, and Children's Literature K-3, ended with an awards presentation.
From the Iowa City School District, Colin Wehrle and Ella Krupp received the first- and second-place ribbons, respectively, for the Creative Lecture (TED Talk) competition. Malorie James, Brooklyn Riley Poma, and Quinn Kempenaar from the Iowa City School District swept the Educators Rising Moment awards as they presented speeches that explained their desire to pursue careers in education. In the Children's Literature K-3 competition, Iowa City's Lily Lumb authored and illustrated the first-prize story, while Frey Kellogg also from Iowa City earned second place, and Marley Smith and Kyra Thovson from Davenport school District worked together to produce the third-place story.
One moving speech came from Iowa City School District student Brooklyn Riley Poma, who shared her personal experiences that led her to pursue teaching.
Riley Poma recounted how her junior high librarian, known as Ms. Sims, became a supportive figure in her life.
"She was always surrounded by students who were much wiser than me," Riley Poma says. "She had tiny trinkets that showcased her wonderful personality, her welcoming personality. I don’t know how it started, but we began to talk about everything – from books to the newest middle school gossip.”
Poma adds that Ms. Sims helped her find a place of peace, support, and stability at Southeast Middle School.
“Quickly, I began to regain motivation to participate in class and found my best friends. I no longer needed to be in the library, but I always knew that if I had a particularly bad day, I could talk to her,” Poma says. “She was always my friend."
That experience, she says, made her realize her purpose.
"I wanted to extend this gift—the gift of being seen—to other kids," Poma says. "And I thought, the only profession that truly lets me do this is being a teacher."
By providing students with mentorship, hands-on experiences, and exposure to college-level learning, the Educators Rising State Conference aims to strengthen the future of education in Iowa and inspire the next generation of teachers.
UI College of Education’s Associate Director of School Partnerships and Global Education Initiatives, Amira Nash, was instrumental in organizing the event with help from those within the college and the sponsorship partners.
"We worked really closely with the Iowa State Education Association and Colleen Heinz, who's our Educators Rising state organizer," Nash says. "Our collaborative effort benefits the Educators Rising students in the high schools. They build up to this event throughout the year with the aspiring educators, our college students, going out to the high schools to work with them. It's really nice to culminate with this event and see all of them here together."
McDermott praised Nash’s efforts organizing the event, particularly highlighting her leadership.
"Amira has done so much work to pull off another great event," McDermott says. "A bunch of people helped, but she has spearheaded this in a way that is indicative of how important she thinks it is to connect with young people who want to be teachers."
