By Jess Hawkins

Happy Wednesday Hawkeyes! This week we are excited to introduce another alumna, Kelsey Beurskens.

Beurskens graduated from the College of Education in 2014 with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She also received endorsements in K-8 Reading and K-8 Language Arts, and received a Spanish minor.

Originally from Marshalltown, Iowa, Beurskens now works as a third grade teacher and Teacher Leadership and Compensation Classroom Strategist at Franklin Elementary in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“One of my favorite parts about my job is forming meaningful and lasting relationships with my students,” says Beurskens. “I love watching them grow throughout the school year.”

Beurskens says that her experiences at the College of Education prepared her for her current position.

“Six years later, I’m still using the strategies I learned from my student teaching experience at Weber Elementary in Iowa City,” she says.

“My student teaching supervisor, Deb Fick, was also a huge supporter. She helped me nail my first job interview while I was student teaching,” she says. “I was offered the job, and I still work at the same school.”

Beurskens also says that the way that her professors interacted with her as a student has stuck with her to this day.

“My favorite class in the College of Education was Educational Psychology with Mitch Kelly. This class stood out to me because I took it my sophomore year, and every time I saw Dr. Kelly around campus after that, he greeted me by name,” she says.

“It showed that he took the time to get to know each student individually, even at the college level. I try to do the same for my students now,”Beurskens says.

Beurskens says she is grateful for her entire experience at the University of Iowa.

“My experience at UI prepared me for a career in education at an awesome school district, and I couldn't have dreamed of a better college experience,” she says.

Want to be the next “Where Do You Work Wednesday” or nominate someone? Message us on Facebook, tag us with #HawkeyeTeachers, or email us at educationatiowa@uiowa.edu.