SchoolsFirst FCU UTEACH Alumna, Lauren Tran, Accepted into STAR Program at SETI Institute

College of Ed SchoolsFirst FCU UTEACH alumna, Lauren Tran, was recently accepted into the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program at the prestigious SETI Institute in Northern California where Tran will work as a Fellow alongside a SETI scientist. Tran credits the SchoolsFirst FCU UTEACH pathway and her CED faculty with preparing her for her future classroom career, and giving her the tools to apply to the SETI Institute program.

Tran said of her SchoolsFirst FCU UTEACH experience and subsequent acceptance into the STAR program, “Taking the UTEACH route was the best thing I could have possibly done in regard to better preparing myself to teach. I feel more prepared to have my own classroom after gaining an entire year of student teaching under my belt. It gave me experiences I never thought I would have—a student teaching partner, a cohort, and double the amount of time with two different grade levels. The idea of making it in [to the STAR program] was almost inconceivable to me, but I wouldn’t have had the opportunity or even known about the STAR Program if it weren’t for UTEACH.”