Pursuing a Second Career at Santa Clara: Rashmi Nayak’s Story
A year into our new Online Master of Arts in Teaching & Teaching Credential Program (OMATTC), student Rashmi Nayak reflects on her experience.
After earning her Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Engineering, Nayak spent 6 years as a software engineer. But she felt like something was missing. “Leaving a stable job that I’d worked so hard for was difficult, but I felt a longing to be more involved in giving back to the community. While still in IT, I used to volunteer to tutor students, and it was through this fulfilling experience that I decided that I wanted to make the career flip to teaching,” says Nayak.
Once the decision was made, Nayak earned her initial teacher credits, and landed her first teaching jobs as a Preschool/Pre-K teacher at Stratford Schools in the Bay Area, then an English Language Arts (ELA) Coordinator for a local school in her now home base of Lathrop, California. With dreams of earning her teaching credential and goals of teaching elementary students, Nayak set her eyes on Santa Clara University.
“SCU was always going to be my first choice, but having recently moved two hours away, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to manage the commute. So once I heard the School was introducing an online option, I thought, ‘yes, this is for me!’”
Even then, Nayak was still a little unsure about how the program would go since it was online and still novel. But an assuring orientation calmed her nerves, and she was pleased with how the program was designed and how the professors planned to support them every step of the way. And so far, the experience has been just as it was painted out to be.
“Since I’m new to teaching, I’m still comprehending all the exams that are required and navigating how to prepare for them, making guidance and support from professors even more important,” says Nayak. “All the professors have been so understanding and receptive to feedback to ensure we’re getting the quality education we need while still being able to manage commitments outside of the classroom. I’ve especially connected with Dr. Kathy Stoehr. I feel so at home with her and she’s always there when I need her.”
Even as an online student, Nayak has been able to find community with her classmates. With many being working parents in school like her, Nayak says she can relate well to them and has found offline project work to be smooth. She looks forward to the opportunities to come on campus and meet them in person.
“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to pursue my dream job here at Santa Clara and be part of this new program. I’m so glad I made the leap and I’m so excited for the learning, personal growth, and teaching to come!”