Mary Deputie
School, Year: College of Saint Benedict, Senior
Major: Elementary Education
Carlson Family Foundation Scholarship
Travelers’ Urban Education Summer Scholars Program (UESS)
What are you doing right now?
I am finishing up my UESS placement at Ames Elementary School in St. Paul.
What makes you excited about teaching?
Beginning my life in Liberia, I know first hand that learning is not just about skills and methods. It is also about giving your students the strength of being a strong-witted, well-focused and thoughtful individual, who can stand for nothing to push you down.
What is your dream job?
Teaching. Giving back and teaching kids like me, newly immigrated and struggling.
What would you say to younger students making college decisions and planning their futures?
Entering college has brought such a fast change to my life that expectations have really hit me hard. In high school, my skills were not so academically constructed but the rigors of college have equipped me to welcome change and discover the different range of my strengths and weaknesses. These are lessons I am learning on my way to improvement and advancement as a student, a future teacher and as a person.
Who is the biggest influence in your life?
My grandmother has supported me since I moved here to Minnesota from Liberia. She is proud that I am the first in our family to attend college. She has been there for me at all of my accomplishments. When I was at Arlington High School, I was a part of Admission Possible and now at college I am a Page Scholar and a part of The College of Saint Benedict’s I-LEAD program.