Sam Gerdts wanted a career change that would be meaningful. A voice inside his head kept telling him teaching was the right direction.
That voice may have been his wife, who is a teacher and loves her job.
So when Gerdts applied for a Master of Arts in Teaching program, he listened to that wise voice again and chose Saint Mary’s University, following in his wife’s footsteps.
“My wife did a graduate program and said it was great, and Saint Mary’s had what I was looking for,” he said. By taking programs online, Gerdts is able to work full time as a behavior resource specialist for the St. Cloud School District while completing his coursework. He hopes to graduate in fall semester 2025.
Gerdts also applied and was named a Noyce Scholar at Saint Mary’s. Saint Mary’s received the Inclusive STEM Teacher Education Pipeline Noyce Scholarship (ISTEP) grant which supports both undergraduate and graduate students who are entering the teaching profession in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Students supported through the Noyce program receive scholarships and in turn agree to teach in high needs Minnesota school districts in STEM fields following completion of their programs.
“I had an opportunity in college to see that science can bring you to places where you never knew where you could go before,” Gerdts said. “The U.S. is falling behind in science and mathematics compared to other countries, so it’s important to drive that innovation within our younger generation.”
Gerdts is ready to ignite that spark of interest in science for secondary students. “I think STEM fields answer questions of how things are made, how the living world exists,” he said. “There are things that are cemented, but the amazing thing about science is it’s constantly changing.”
He added that he believes that all students should have equal access to quality STEM education because everyone has something to contribute.
Gerdts says he is thankful to have been able to attend two conferences, the National Noyce Summit in Washington, D.C., and the Midwest Noyce Conference in St. Louis, Mo.
“These conferences have given me the ability to connect with educators around the country who have a common goal of helping foster healthy and positive STEM classroom environments,” he said. “These conferences provide teaching methods around culturally responsive teaching and innovative ideas to generate students interest in the STEM field of study.
Being named a Noyce Scholar, Gerdts said, cemented his decision to be a teacher. “This was destiny saying I should be a teacher,” he said. “I called my mom and told her, I was so excited.”
Having the scholarship, he said, means a lot. “It tells me there are people out there who believe that funding my program is beneficial not only to me but to the future of students who I have the possibility of changing. It makes me feel like I’m worthy of this career field and the education that I’m receiving. There are people who believe in me other than my parents. It’s motivation for me to keep going.”
Gerdts strongly believes that education in general is transformational. “I think there is an excellent opportunity to grab students’ interests really early and show them the opportunity that education can provide,” he said. “Opportunity exists through education and knowledge. I think the earlier you can open that mind view of education, that’s an excellent way for students to be better versions of themselves.”
