Alex Davidson
Staff Writer
The Parkland College Student Education Association is a student-run organization that offers many opportunities to students in education majors, as well as any others that may be interested.
The club puts together several events throughout the semester in order to provide opportunities to students to get involved. They go to conferences, invite speakers to talk about careers in education, as well as organize social gatherings, such as “Waffle-Cone Wednesday,” which serve to help the students get to know each other.
“A lot of the speakers and the conferences…deal with how to teach,” says Charles Larenas, an instructor of social sciences at Parkland.
The club also fundraises for charities. On Valentine’s Day they sold cookies to raise money for She’s The First, a charity which gives scholarships to young women in low-income families.
The PCSEA was founded almost a decade ago, just after Larenas began teaching at Parkland. Its main goal is to help students learn things that may not be found in a standard curriculum or which they do not have the opportunity to learn on their own.
In addition, it works to help education students make contacts and connections with professionals and future opportunities in their field.
Though geared towards education majors, any Parkland student is allowed to join and gain access to all the activities and opportunities provided. There are many non-education majors in the club, as it provides opportunities for students to meet and learn life-skills which are valuable in almost every field.
“It’s open to all majors,” says Brandi Heylek, one of the two co-presidents of the club. “I’m actually going towards nursing.”
For education majors however there are a few additional perks. If you’re in EDU-101, joining the club and going to five events will earn you the option to not write a paper at the end of the semester.
The biggest thing that draws people in, though, is the community; the club is made for people interested in education as a career, whether that be through a teacher or something else. The community that has grown around it is welcoming to anybody who is interested.
“It’s a really great bonding experience,” says Paul Wikoff, the second co-president of the club. “It helps you knowing that there’s other people doing the same thing you’re doing, and that you’re not just alone.”
For more information about joining the club contact Professor Larenas at clarenas@parkland.edu.
