January 20, 2011
Learning to Teach—Recent Grad Helps Students in DC and Houston
Alyssa Larrabee is the youngest of her single mother’s five children and the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. And she wouldn’t have been able to do so without your generosity.
In April Larrabee graduated from the McKay School of Education with a degree in history teaching. “I’ve learned to be the kind of teacher that provides each child with opportunities to succeed in the classroom,” she says.
Larrabee says her education was greatly enhanced by two off-campus experiences. She worked with underprivileged children in Washington, DC, and taught in Houston, Texas. Larrabee calls these experiences eye-opening and remarkable. “In both places I tried to help students gain confidence and apply themselves, and I learned not to let difficulties refrain me from pursuing success. I like to think that one day these students will help others.
“Education is the great equalizer, and people who make education possible for others ensure that it is,” says Larrabee. Addressing those who donate to BYU, she says, “Looking at my circumstances and background, one might conclude that I was not meant to go to college, but because you were willing to share, I was able to gain a wonderful education.”
