“I wasn’t even enrolled yet and had no
idea she would one day be my advisor,
yet she sat with me to answer all my
questions. We built a relationship right
away,” Melissa said. “The TAP program
is something that I never saw before
in any school I visited or researched. I
thought it was a great opportunity to
be in the classroom starting in my first
year.”
GMercyU’s Teacher Apprenticeship
Program (TAP) enables undergraduate
education majors to participate in
classroom observations beginning in
their first semester on campus and
continues with pre-student and student
teaching for a total of up to eight
semesters in the classroom.
Just as it didn’t take long for Melissa
to realize GMercyU was the right fit for
her, it didn’t take long for Melissa to
become active on campus.
Melissa was a four-year member of
GMercyU’s field hockey team, leading
them to the conference finals all four
years and winning the title in 2014 and
2017. She is the all-time conference
leader in points, goals, and assists.
She was the Colonial States Athletic
Conference Player of the Year in 2016
and 2017 and was named the 2017-18
CSAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the
Year, which recognizes student-athletes
for their academic, athletic, and
community service achievements.
“Being a student-athlete taught me so
many life lessons in such a short amount
of time,” Melissa said. “It not only
helped grow my leadership skills, but it
shaped me as a well-rounded student.”
Between classes, practice, and
games, Melissa also found the time
to participate in several clubs and
committees, including the Dean's
Education Student Advisory Board for
the School of Business and Education,
the Special Education Club, and
GMAECY.
“I made a lot of connections and built a
lot of friendships and relationships with
students, faculty, and staff that I will
have long-term. Although it was a lot of
work and preparation, everything was
worth it in the end,” she said.
Through the professional relationships
she made while at GMercyU, Melissa
was able to secure an interview for a
teaching position and just three days
after walking across the stage at
Commencement, Melissa was hired by
the Wissahickon School District.
Melissa’s first-grade dream of being a
teacher has come full circle. She is now
a first grade teacher at Lower Gwynedd
Elementary School.
TODAY
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