Teaching Protégés

When Abbey Stello decided to enroll at Slippery Rock University, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect or if she’d get involved right away. But thanks to a program that matched first-year education majors with faculty mentors, she immediately became engaged on campus and the extended community in a way that exceeded anything she would imagine.

Stello applied and was accepted into the College of Education’s Professor Protégé program before being matched with a faculty mentor, Christine Walsh, professor of curriculum, instruction and education leadership.

This mentorship, however, goes beyond the basic aspects of navigating the academic and social challenges of college life. The protégés earn up to $800 by working with the faculty member on a designated project, whether it’s research or service in the community.

Stello worked with the local chapter of the Keystone State Literacy Association, a community of education professionals who promote literacy and literacy education in Pennsylvania.

“Being a protégé helped me get involved early on and make connections, not just with a professor but with other students and even professionals out in the field,” said Stello, a junior early childhood/special education major from Punxsutawney. “Thanks to the supportive culture I found at SRU, I developed my communication skills, met teachers and reading specialists at local schools, and I was able to gain a lot of insight about campus, my major and the importance of literacy.”

Stello helped organize and promote events in the community and at local schools in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties related to literacy, including a book drive that generated more than 100 books for classrooms at West Hill Elementary in the Sharon City School District. She also helped develop resources for parents so that they can read with the children.

“The Professor Protégé program is a great example of how SRU supports our students and provides them opportunities to thrive beginning in their first year,” said Sararose Lynch, associate professor of special education and the Professor Protégé program director. “It’s a great way from them to realize that they belong here on campus and in the teaching profession, and it furthers our culture of faculty-student engagement.”

More than a dozen protégé are enrolled each year and, in addition to their wages, students are provided other incentives such as travel to conferences to present research and professional development funding.

“This program made my experience at SRU very welcoming, and I was able to build connections before I even arrived on campus,” Stello said. “I continue to benefit from it beyond my first year.”