Cyrus Murray thought he knew what he wanted to be. He was going to be a mechanical engineer. But plans change. He started taking classes and learned that he had a passion for English. And Cyrus decided the way to share his newfound interest was to become a teacher. Now the transfer student is on his way to a bachelor's degree with plans for a master's. Learn more about him in this week's Student Spotlight.
A little bit about Cyrus:
Q: Where is home for you?
A: Oak Park, Illinois.
Q: What is your year and major?
A: I'm a junior majoring in English with a Secondary Education minor.
Q: How did you know you wanted to go into the field of education?
A: For most of my life, I wanted to become a mechanical engineer. However, as time progressed, I grew disinterested in STEM as a field and became far more interested in the humanities. I had always viewed English as sort of an afterthought, so after I started to find it very enjoyable in college and to learn far more about it, I decided I wanted to try and share that with people as an educator. I have had many amazing educators, all of whom greatly contributed to my success both academically and broadly.
Q: What do you enjoy about the College of Education?
A: I enjoy seeing familiar faces in my classes and getting to know people with similar goals.
Q: What do you enjoy about your campus experience so far?
A: Being a transfer student, it was a little different. It was odd joining a class as opposed to the Freshman experience of coming in with a class. That being said, making friends was really easy here, and it has been nice spending time with the friends I have made.
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
A: At one time, I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Q: Tell us about any study abroad experiences and why you thought they benefited your life and career.
A: I had a study abroad experience in Japan for one month during high school, and I found that to be very enjoyable. Being half Japanese, I had gone to Japan with my family many times. However, being an exchange student gives a completely different experience, and being with a host family allowed me to develop a better understanding of what life is like as a Japanese student.
Q: Tell us about your future career plans after graduating and why you want to pursue that field.
A: I want to pursue a master's degree before teaching high school students.
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