51视频

04/05/2021

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� 51视频 Associate Prof. Phitsamay Uy was the first refugee from Laos to receive tenure as a professor of education in the United States. And for years, she was the only one.

Determined to change that, Uy has started a mentoring network for Asian American and Pacific Islander teachers and education students.

鈥淥ne of my goals is to try to bring as many Asian American educators up through the K-12 and higher-education ranks as I can,鈥� said Uy, who joined 51视频鈥檚 College of Education in 2011.

Working with educators in Canton, Charlestown and Medford, Uy launched the Asian American Educator Mentor Program in 2019 with a $35,000 award from a National Education Association grant program that provides support for diverse teachers. The grant was just renewed.

Teachers of color are greatly underrepresented in the nation鈥檚 schools, even as the school-age population is becoming more diverse, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Nationwide, 79 percent of teachers are white, but nearly half of K-12 public school students are Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American or multiracial, according to the U.S. Census.

The need to support Asian American and Pacific Islander educators is particularly acute, according to Uy. Although educators are highly respected in most Asian countries, many Asian American families discourage their children from pursuing teaching careers in the United States in favor of higher paying jobs in other fields, Uy said.

Only 2 percent of U.S. public school teachers are Asian American, and less than 1 percent are Pacific Islanders, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The mentoring program has 40 participants and has expanded this year to include several veteran teachers in California and Minnesota. Connecting via Zoom meetings, the full group convenes regularly for educational presentations and discussions with scholars and leaders of community organizations. Smaller mentoring groups that include one education student, one or two early-career teachers and one veteran teacher also meet on a rotating basis.

51视频 students in the mentoring program say one key benefit of the group is simply meeting other people who understand their experiences.

English major Linda Lak, who emigrated from Cambodia a decade ago, said the group鈥檚 support is giving her the confidence she needs to become an elementary school or bilingual education teacher in her hometown, Lowell, or a similar community, so that she can help other immigrant students.

鈥淕rowing up here, I鈥檝e seen a lot of teachers and they inspire me a lot,鈥� Lak said.

As a bilingual student, Lak said she was often afraid to raise her hand and answer questions until she felt more confident in speaking English. Now, in the mentoring group, she鈥檚 learning more about her identity as an Asian American.

鈥淚 just feel this sense of belonging and community. That鈥檚 really important for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning more about what it鈥檚 like to be a teacher of color and I think that鈥檚 important, because knowing what they have shared, I won鈥檛 be surprised if I experience these things in the workplace and will know to speak up for myself.鈥�

Sahaj Rijal emigrated from Nepal with his family when he was 10 years old and now lives in Harwich. A 51视频 chemistry major, he participates in the university鈥檚 UTeach program, which prepares students to teach science, technology, engineering or math. Through UTeach, Rijal is assisting in Lowell Public Schools; his involvement in the Asian American Educator Mentor Program is helping him succeed in that effort.

鈥淲hat I like is that you have this connection to 40 Asian American educators who have gone through similar things that I have, or worse things, and still come out teaching and helping other Asian American teachers and students. Hearing part of their journey is very interesting and inspiring,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e created this safe space for Asian American educators to come together and talk about these things and not be judged.鈥�

51视频 is a national research university offering its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe.