Arianna Bermudez has been working on her degree since COVID, when she could barely leave the house. Today, Bermudez is about to graduate, fresh off an incredible international experience.
The elementary and special education major is student teaching in Ireland, but she did not always see herself in the classroom. Bermudez began her time at Indiana University Northwest as a journalism major.
"Teaching just kept creeping up," Bermudez said. "I started meeting people in education, and I was like, 'this is my passion,'" she said.
Changing majors was not straightforward for Bermudez. She said she spent a lot of time reflecting and even felt frustrated with her desire to change things up. But ultimately, she decided the classroom was where she belonged.
"If you’re stuck on something and feel like it’s not meant for you, then change it," she said. "Listen to your gut and get out of your comfort zone."
People are also reading…
As the semester ends, Bermudez is stepping outside her comfort zone — literally. In April, she headed to Ireland for an international student teaching program, where she will have the chance to see how the education system works outside of the United States.
"My biggest love in the world is culture," Bermudez said. "I’m excited to be immersed in it and show my students a culturally responsive way of getting to know people."
Although she is excited to get to know people in a new country, she loves the people at IU Northwest as well. In fact, those relationships were her favorite part of her time at the university.
"I’ve met a lot of great people along the way," she said. "I’ve been able to build a team within the education program where we can bounce off each other. It allows us to be human beings who make mistakes but also learn what we need."
Bermudez also received inspiration from faculty members, namely Jory Matthews, lecturer in science education.
"He’s the teacher you wish you had," Bermudez said. "He makes learning fun, and when you have a teacher who’s so invested, you want to be that for your students, too."
Bermudez’s love for teaching has persisted through feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty about her future. Comparing herself to others was one of her biggest obstacles.
"There are times you feel like a fraud because you’re not at the same part of your journey as everyone else," she said. "But you have to start at the beginning, and you’re going to grow as you get to know yourself."
Even now, Bermudez still notices the remnants of those feelings. When she applied for her study abroad scholarship, she was not sure it was in the cards for her.
"It was highly competitive, so I thought, 'I wasn’t getting this,'" she said. "The scholarship was going to determine everything for me."
As it turned out, Bermudez had no reason to worry. She earned the scholarship and soon set off for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Ireland. As she looks even further ahead, she is excited to do, in her words, everything.
"There are so many things I want to do in the world," she said. "I want to travel and see more classrooms. I would love to be immersed in the education field. I want to feel epic and have fun doing it."
The future is bright for Bermudez, whether that involves an elementary school classroom, a plane ticket to Europe or all of the above. In short, her journey can be described the same way she describes teaching elementary school students: "chaotic but beautiful."
