Student Highlights

Our Student Spotlight page showcases some of the accomplishments of our English department students and alumni. If you would like to be featured on our page, please reach out to Dr. Oana Popescu-Sandu at 812-465-7053 or by email.

Jacey Cordray '24

1. Where are you from?
• I was born in Evansville, but I have lived in Newburgh the majority of my life.
2. What brought you to USI?
• It felt comfortable since it was so close to home. Starting my first semester during the peak of COVID-19 was scary and unknown and I liked having something to rely on in case things went wrong.
3. What major/minor did you pick and why?  
• My major is English Teaching and my minor is Secondary Education. I have known since early elementary school that I wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn't until my senior year of high school that I really thought about how I would do it. As it stood, I was a great reader and writer and enjoyed my English classes above all else, so I decided that I would become an English teacher. In doing so, I was deciding that I would teach anything above 6^th grade, but that definitely was not a deal breaker. As much as I love smaller kids, I need them in fewer doses.
4. What clubs or extracurricular activities did you participate in?
• The only program I participated in was Teach Now. Typically, student teaching is one semester only, but Teach Now helped put me in the same classroom for an entire school year. I was able to meet the kids on their first day and get comfortable in front of them at a much slower pace, which I am extremely grateful for. It was a bit rocky at first, but I think this program really pushed me to be a fantastic teacher.
5. What are your plans after graduation?
• I have accepted a position for 8^th grade ELA and 6^th grade Social Studies at Thompkins Middle School and will be starting in August of this year.
6. What advice would you give to current or prospective USI students?
• As someone that was extremely secluded throughout my early years of college (due to me being an introvert and commuter alongside COVID-19), I recommend that you find your people. It wasn't until my final year that I realized that when I was surrounded by people that shared common interests and goals, it was so much easier to speak up and want to be apart of the group. I regret not reaching out in my earlier years knowing that I might have formed really strong friendships at critical points in my life. Talk to people in your class or join a club, but don't wait until your last semester to do so.
7. Anything else you would like to include?
• I am extremely thankful to have been awarded the Outstanding English Teaching Major Award from the university as well as the Outstanding Future Educator Award from the state of Indiana. I would also like to give a shoutout to my mentor, Erica Bateman, for putting up with me for an entire year and giving me strong advice that I will carry with me into my own classroom.