Chrissy Krieg
For Chrissy Krieg of Richmond, success at IU East comes from a spark ignited by faculty to push her to do more than she thought possible.
Chrissy decided to attend college after both of her sons were old enough to attend elementary school. It had been her dream to become a teacher. After beginning her courses at IU East, she formed close relationships with faculty, like Elizabeth Slattery, writing lecturer, who sparked her interest in creative writing and literature. It was that spark that helped Chrissy realized she belonged in secondary education.
“Getting to know the faculty has been really extraordinary. I think the close relationships that I have had with instructors has greatly attributed to my success," Chrissy said.
In May 2007, Chrissy earned the distinction as the first Honors Program graduate. IU East established the Honors Program three years ago. This May, she received the distinction as the first person to graduate from the Honors Program.
As a member of the Honors Program, Chrissy had many opportunities that enriched her educational experience. She found her calling as an eighth grade English teacher and developed the summer reading program curriculum at the Baxter Neighborhood Help Center for 15 children in preschool to high school.
The Honors Program helped Chrissy develop her love of literature and she used that to help inspire others. One experience for Chrissy includes mentoring a high school student who was reluctant to read and helping this student to develop an interest. She also participated in a Mindful Explorations Film Series forum where she and other students opened the film up for discussion with audience members.
“"The Honors Program has provided me the opportunity to challenge myself more than I ever thought possible,” Chrissy said. “I hope to utilize the principles of the Honors Program in my own classroom. I want to challenge my students the way this program has challenged me."
In addition to the program, Chrissy has had many other opportunities at IU East. She wrote a piece of fiction that was published in Tributaries, the IU East Journal of Student Writing. She was accepted into the PEP program which allows undergraduate students the opportunity to receive training in and then teach first year composition. “I taught a class in fall 2006 and will be teaching another this next fall. I love teaching composition. This program has also enabled me to develop even closer relationships with faculty and other PEP students,” Chrissy said.
In April, Chrissy received the Distinguished Student in Secondary Education Award for 2007.
Chrissy plans on continuing her education by attending graduate school.
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