Kids on the playground inspire UC student’s career path

It was the children she experienced by happenstance who convinced Sydney Graham, CECH ’27, to become an education major. Not with words, but with their school-day busyness, the smiles on their little faces, their just being young and cute.

Graham, a scholarship recipient, saw the children at UC’s acclaimed Arlitt Child Development Center every time she walked back to her residence hall. “And I’d think, ‘Oh, look at the kids.’ It made me revisit my plans. I thought, maybe I’ll switch my major to education.”

Making that switch during her first year meant transferring from CCM, where she was a media production major, to the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), where she now majors in elementary education. “I’ve always had an interest in ministry,” she says. “I’ve babysat. I was always involved in Sunday School at my church. I did everything with kids. When I switched my major, I knew it was right.”

Graham was initially nervous about changing gears, but professors and advisors helped her make a seamless transition. “They were willing to accommodate and help me catch up. The professors are all welcoming and friendly, and they really help you succeed.” Also assisting, often anonymously, were the donors who funded Graham’s scholarships.

“The scholarships have eased my financial burden,” she says. “I apply for as many as I can, and I’m fortunate to not have to work a job during the school year. To donors, I’d say a huge thank you. I’m really grateful and blessed that someone is willing to invest their own money in a scholarship to give back and help students.”

Experiential learning is a hallmark of CECH’s elementary education program, which encompasses Pre-K through fifth grade. While education majors elsewhere may not start student teaching until their senior year, Graham got her first taste of preparing and teaching lessons during the second semester of her second year. That experience involved supporting the lead teacher in a Pre-K classroom in Newtown, a Cincinnati suburb. Tasks ranged from designing and implementing developmentally appropriate literacy and math activities to integrating play-based learning with academic standards.  

“I like how they get us started early,” Graham says. “I feel like that makes or breaks your teaching experience by helping you know whether you want to go into it. I like how they get us acclimated into the classroom setting.”

Graham has also shared her growing skills outside UC as an assistant Pre-K teacher at an Indianapolis daycare center in 2024, and as head camp counselor this summer at the IU Indianapolis Jaguar Day Camp.

Following graduation, Graham aspires to head up an elementary school classroom of her own. Her preferred age group is “at the younger end of the spectrum,” most likely first or second grade. 

“My goal is to become an impactful early childhood educator who creates an engaging and supportive learning environment for all students,” she says. “Maybe, potentially, I will get my master’s in education. But I don’t want to think about that yet because I’m trying to get my undergraduate degree. Getting acclimated to teaching and being in school is what I’m looking forward to.”

Featured image at top: Sydney Graham is a student in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. Photo/UC Alumni Association