Alumna Returns to ESU After 16 Years to Fulfill Teaching Dream

Proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams, East Stroudsburg University alumna Elizabeth Perry recently completed ESU’s Post-Baccalaureate in Teacher Certification Preparation (PK–4) program 16 years after graduating from the University.

Perry, from Warrington, Pa., first graduated from ESU in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in English. Though she found steady work after graduation, Perry’s dream job of becoming a teacher was always in the back of her mind, she said.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Perry said. “I just didn’t have the confidence I needed in myself when I was younger.”

With her 40^th birthday looming, Perry decided it was now or never. However, nearly two decades removed from her last college experience, she wondered if the dream was too far out of reach. She wanted to commit to going back to college but needed to continue supporting herself by working. How could she juggle both responsibilities? Even if she could, education had changed a lot since 2008, she thought. Could she handle it?

“I was terrified,” she said. “When I graduated in 2008, technology was a part of it, but nowhere near what it is today.”

While trying to figure out the path to a new future, Perry thought back to her past.

“I had such a great experience earning my bachelor’s at ESU that I figured it’d be great if I could go back there again somehow,” she said.

While researching her options at ESU, she found the University’s Post-Baccalaureate in Teacher Certification Preparation (PK–4) program. The program is designed for students who have an undergraduate degree in an area other than education and who want to pursue their Pennsylvania certification in Early Childhood Education.

The program requires 48 credits, 27 of which are at the graduate level and are offered online. Nine credits are at the undergraduate level, which Perry was also able to complete virtually. The remaining 12 credits are reserved for in-person student teaching, which the program allowed Perry to complete close to her home due to being within the 50-mile radius from campus. After completion of the program, students can apply up to 24 graduate credits toward a master of education degree in elementary education.

All of it was the perfect fit for Perry’s lifestyle, she said.

“ESU offering the online courses is very convenient because you can still work, classes are in the evening, and professors are still reachable and responsive if you ever need anything,” she said.

So in 2024 at the age of 37, Perry was a Warrior again.

“I’d rather have no regrets than wonder, ‘What if?’” she said.

While taking courses, Perry worked as a building substitute at New Hope-Solebury Upper Elementary School in New Hope, Pa. Building substitutes are dedicated substitute teachers who are assigned to a single school building within a school district. They are the main fill-in for absent teachers and work in administrative and other support roles on days they aren’t required to teach.

There, Perry was able to apply what she was learning at ESU in real time.

“I was able to put my own spin onto other teachers’ lesson plans because I had that field experience, and I had that additional time being around students,” she said.

Though she continues to enjoy working at the school, Perry is applying and eagerly looking forward to becoming a full-time teacher.

“The goal is to get my own classroom someday,” she said.

Perry had such a gratifying experience in her second run at ESU, she decided to thank the faculty and staff who impacted her the most by writing them a letter.

“I have asked countless questions, sent dozens of e-mails and shared my trepidation without judgement or a feeling of inferiority,” she wrote. “The accessibility to my professors, the availability of evening classes and to be able to do my fieldwork experience in my area was outstanding.”

Now, Perry has opportunity to have the same impact on her students – especially when it comes to encouraging them to never give up.

“Taking the chance and succeeding is something to be proud of,” she said.

Learn more about ESU’s Post-Baccalaureate in Teacher Certification Preparation (PK–4) program or explore Graduate Admissions options.

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