Teaching & Learning Student Joel Deleon Receives UH Student Employee of the Year
B.S. in Teaching & Learning (4-8 Mathematics) senior Joel Deleon has been honored with the Student Employee of the Year award from the University of Houston (UH). Deleon has served for the last three years as a peer mentor for the Greater Texas Foundation (GTF) Scholars program. The program supports students who have a scholarship through GTF. These students are graduates from Early College High Schools which are schools targeting at-risk students and who are often first generation.
Deleon said that receiving the award was something that was hard to put into words. “Being recognized for an achievement like student employee of the year is something that I would have never imagined,” he said, “so receiving that award, with my family there to witness it, was an experience that I’ll never forget.”
Deleon tells us that there are three cohorts in the GTF Scholars program adding up to 59 GTF Scholars, 23 of whom are first year students. To help students navigate through their academic and personal pathways, Deleon held one-on-one student meetings, led small group peer-meetings, trained and guided other volunteer group leaders, and orchestrated and led monthly cohort meetings where all students from the cohorts would come together and meet. “In my role as GTF Guide, I helped GTF Scholars navigate through academic and personal pathways to better transition to UH in their first year and beyond,” said Deleon. “These were all firsts for the GTF program at UH.”
Mentoring GTF Scholars has been one of Deleon’s most rewarding experiences of his college career because he attended an Early College High School himself. “As a graduate from Victory Early College High School, I was able to share with other GTF Scholars my transition into UH in hopes that they would understand that a lot of the feelings that come with transitioning to UH were okay, that the mistakes or ‘bumps’ that come along the way into our college careers are there to learn from,” he said. “Being able to mentor others and offer any support that I could meant so much to me.”
Deleon learned so much from each student's transition into the university, and through mentoring them. He was not only offering help to them, but at the same time he was learning from their experiences. “This helped me as well and made me feel like a lot of the challenges I faced were necessary for me to grow,” he said. “One thing I learned from mentoring the GTF Scholars is that someone can tell you that what you're going through is okay and completely normal, but talking to someone about their experience and being able to relate to them can really make a difference.”
College of Education (COE) visiting assistant professor, Jane Cooper had an enormous impact on Deleon’s pathway to becoming an educator. She was Deleon's university supervisor when he was student teaching in the field and she was also a professor in several of his classes. “She has always pushed me to be a better educator and taught me an invaluable lesson on being reflective of my practice on a daily basis,” he said. “She is a huge reason why I am the teacher that I am today. I am very thankful to have had her as a professor and supervisor during my student teaching experience.”
Cooper was equally impressed with Deleon. "His passion and excellence to ensure that his students succeed is marked by the effort and compassion he shows in his practice," she said. "I have been especially impressed with his ability to guide his students to successfully use difficult mathematical terminology in classroom discussions. His hard work and effort makes me gladdened for the future of the profession."
Assistant professor Yasemin Copur-Gencturk had a significant impact on Deleon’s passion for mathematics education. Her passion for mathematics education in schools truly inspired Deleon to want to become a difference maker. “I learned that being a math teacher was not simply being able to explain mathematical concepts,” he said. “Instead, an effective math teacher is one who is able to see how math concepts relate to each other to build new knowledge for students and make connections . . . she was a professor who always made me question the effectiveness of the math methods I use in the classroom, and for that and so much more I am very grateful.”
"I am very proud of him for receiving this outstanding award," said Copur-Gencturk. "Joel strives to be an excellent teacher by constantly improving himself and genuinely caring about his students’ learning."
Deleon plans to start teaching 7th grade Mathematics this upcoming Fall at Pilgrim Academy, a Houston Independent School District (HISD) campus that serves students from Kindergarten - 8th grade. “This was the school that I student taught at my senior year at the College of Education,” he said.