UConn Educators Club Wins National Advocacy Honor

The UConn Future Educators Club, led by Neag School of Education students, was recently honored with a Local Excellence Award at the National Education Association's (NEA) Aspiring Educators Conference, recognizing the outstanding contributions of the pre-service educators.

The annual conference was held at the end of June in Portland, Oregon, where future educators connected with colleagues, learned more about the profession, and discussed important education issues affecting public schools and communities. The conference also featured the GramAE Awards Ceremony, which honored the dedication of aspiring educators, state organizers, and chapter advisors, while highlighting impactful advocacy efforts by pre-service educators.

The Local Excellence Recognition Award highlights the work of local chapters and how they engage their members in practicing the NEA Aspiring Educator Core Values: educator quality, community engagement, political action, and racial and social justice.

Hannah Spinner '25 (ED), '26 MA, former president of the UConn student organization, submitted the award application on behalf of the club and attended the conference alongside club member Danyelix Echevarria-Figueroa '26 (ED), '27 MA.

"I was really proud of the work we were doing, and I felt that we strived as an executive board to try and make our club as effective as possible for our members," Spinner says. "It's not just something fun to be a part of, but it's something that gives you a voice and gives you that feeling of preparation."

The Neag School-based club is affiliated with the Connecticut Education Association's Aspiring Educators Program (CEA-AEP), a professional organization for college students preparing for a career in education. This past year, members of the UConn Future Educators (UFE), in partnership with other CEA-AEP chapters, participated in Mystic Aquarium's annual Read Across America Day and a beautification project at a Montville, Connecticut, school.

Additionally, UFE has organized events to provide valuable insights and meaningful learning experiences for its members. This includes inviting professors to discuss multicultural literature, classroom management, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certification. They offer professional development opportunities, such as mock interviews and resume workshops, that provide valuable insights for members applying to the Neag School's upper-division majors.

"When I was walking around the involvement fair my freshman year, the club was one of the things that stood out to me, because when you're a freshman, you are looking for a community and a space where you belong based on your affinities," Spinner says. "So, after talking to the people who were tabling for the club, I knew it was going to be a great space for me to find other pre-teaching majors."

During her time as president, Spinner applied for an NEA grant that allowed UFE to partner with other branches of the CEA Aspiring Educators to create an art installation called "Piecing Together for Political Action," which was designed to address the challenges that keep individuals out of the teaching profession.

The organizations designed puzzle pieces to highlight the key issues facing both pre-service and active educators. During one of their meetings, UFE members crafted their "Pay Student Teachers" component of the puzzle. The full installation was revealed at an event with state legislators and news stations and remained in Hartford's Capitol Building for several days.

"UConn Future Educators Club has embedded itself as a valuable and trustworthy resource and community and advocacy space for aspiring educators within the University of Connecticut and the state of Connecticut," the NEA shared as it presented the Local Excellence award in June. "The chapter uses their connections to effectively and intentionally recruit and retain new members, building a community with something for everyone, from political action, connections to students, community fundraisers, new student orientations, job opportunities, advocacy, racial and social justice in schools, and more."

UConn Future Educators Club has embedded itself as a valuable and trustworthy resource and community and advocacy space for aspiring educators within the University of Connecticut and the state of Connecticut. — National Education Association

With over 130 nominations and eight other groups up for the award, Spinner was shocked to receive it.

"To be recognized by the national union as a whole and be up against eight other amazing local chapters was an incredible experience," Spinner says. "It not only validated the work we were putting into our club, but it also motivated us for the coming years to continue doing that kind of work."

"It was awesome to be able to connect with aspiring educators from all over the country, and it was really inspiring to see our union come together and develop new ideas to work toward a common goal," Echevarria-Figueroa says. "One of my favorite parts was the opportunity to create content for the CEA-AEP Instagram account. I felt so much pride and joy to be a part of something so great."

While Spinner passed club leadership on to the next generation of future educators upon her graduation this past spring, she hopes that members will maintain momentum and encourage students to join the organization. She personally continues to advocate for education as she will assume the role of state chair for the CEA-AEP.

"There is a lot of negative talk surrounding education and becoming a teacher," she says. "But when you're a part of a community that supports you, believes in you, and is like-minded, you can still do it. Not only is our club a great place to find your voice and your sense of belonging, but also becoming a CEA-AEP member continues that kind of personal growth and will assure you that this is the right profession."