Outstanding students ready to move up
When Michaela Pate walks the stage this weekend during the commencement ceremonies for Texas A&M University-Victoria, it will be the culmination of a journey that was interrupted by the pandemic and her first step toward a career dedicated to caring for others.
“My undergraduate degree has definitely been a journey with some twists and turns,” the Victoria resident said. “I’m grateful to everyone who has supported me and been there for me along the way. I’m excited to see what’s next.”
Pate was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. She will receive a Bachelor of Science in Psychology on Friday, Dec. 19. The Outstanding Graduate Student is Kierra Jeter of Houston, who will receive a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in English and education.
Each semester, faculty from A&M-Victoria’s four colleges select outstanding students to be honored during commencement. The university will host four fall commencement ceremonies on Dec. 19 and 20 at the Victoria Fine Arts Center, 1002 Sam Houston Drive. The Friday ceremonies will be at 2 p.m. to celebrate graduates from the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and then at 6 p.m. for the College of Natural & Applied Science. The Saturday ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. to celebrate the graduates from the College of Education & Health Professions, and the 2 p.m. ceremony for graduates of the College of Business. A live stream of the ceremonies will be available on the A&M-Victoria Commencement page.
“Michaela and Kierra show how perseverance leads to success,” said Craig Goodman, interim dean for the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. “I am proud to see them reach this milestone, and I look forward to seeing them continue on as they pursue their dreams.”
Pate’s journey toward earning a degree began when she graduated from high school in 2020 and began attending classes at Texas A&M University in College Station. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and some personal factors created some complications, so she chose to return home and take some time off from school.
When she came home, she started working as a part-time teacher’s aide working with students with special needs. That contact with special education and students who have needs beyond the typical classroom curriculum inspired Pate to pursue a career in that field.
“I fell in love with special education, especially because I saw that there’s such a need for special education professionals,” she said. “My goal is to eventually become a board-certified behavior analyst. So many students have trouble getting the services they need. Seeing that in action made me sure this is the path I want to pursue.”
Although she started out studying sociology, Pate switched her major a few times before she settled on psychology. She fell in love with the subject, she said. Now, as she prepares to graduate and is looking for her next step forward, she hopes to attend graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin to keep working toward her career goal.
Looking back on her time at A&M-Victoria, Pate is grateful for the excellent instruction she received from the faculty and for the support she received from her parents.
“Taking the time to come home and getting my degree at a university that is close to home turned out to be exactly what I needed,” she said. “Now I know without a doubt what I want to do, and I have a clear idea of how to get there.”
Jeter knew she wanted to shift into a leadership role from her current position as a middle school English teacher in Houston. However, that requires getting a master’s degree, so she chose to attend classes at A&M-Victoria.
“I knew I wanted to get a degree that would allow me to have some flexibility on what kind of leadership I could move into,” she said. “By getting an interdisciplinary degree, I can pursue an administrative role or I could shift into a role working at the district level. I didn’t want to be locked into just one direction.”
The Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program at A&M-Victoria gave her a chance to focus on both English and education. While the English workshops sharpened her writing and analytical ability, the education courses helped her see the rising importance of social media and technology in the classroom and how teachers can blend curriculum with technological advancements.
“I was so impressed with how each of the faculty members presented their subjects,” Jeter said. “They took an engaging approach to learning that wasn’t overwhelmingly academic while also highlighting how important it is to be an engaging leader in the classroom.”
As she considers where she wants to go from here, Jeter says her dream is to one day become a superintendent of a school district. But her current focus is on growing in her current role as an educator.
As she worked toward earning her degree, Jeter wasn’t just balancing her own classwork with teaching. She also had a family who encouraged and supported her in the process.
“I’m so grateful to my husband and my three kids for their patience and support,” she said. “I couldn’t have finished this degree without my husband’s support, as well as his military benefits. And I’m so thankful that my children were understanding and patient with me when it came to spending less time with them while I finished this degree.”
Jeter hopes that her children will look back on this time and see how important pursuing an education is.
“I want them to know that even if you have to make some sacrifices to find a working balance, you don’t have to put your whole life on hold to get an education,” she said. “You have to be willing to reach for what you want, and I was lucky enough to have a family who loves me and understands how important this is.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.