By Susan Houston Klaus
Wheeler Elementary School teacher Emily Lorenzen loves that her 26 second-graders are so eager to learn and try new things. The Millard Public Schools teacher has felt the same connection to the classroom since she was not much older than her students are.
“My aunt was my preschool teacher, and in elementary, middle and high school, I would always go back to her classroom on days that I had off and just help out with whatever her class was doing,” Lorenzen said.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, who recently earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, always thought she would have a career in the classroom.
“I just knew that teaching was my calling,” she said.
Lorenzen also has benefited from being a UNO Teacher Scholars Academy student at the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. The donor-supported academy, also offered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, provides scholarships and prepares students for teaching careers in the local community through experiential learning. A cohort-based program, the academy was created to address the immediate need for educators and grow the teacher workforce in the state.
Lorenzen said the scholarships provided by the academy have made a world of difference.
“I didn’t have to have the stress of finances and how I was going to afford college,” Lorenzen said. “I just feel very grateful, because I don’t have any loans to pay off. The scholarship also provided me with money to provide supplies for my classroom last year, which was really helpful to making my classroom how I wanted it to be.”
The first cohorts for the Teacher Scholars Academy started in 2019. Since it began, the UNO TSA has enrolled 114 teacher scholars, with a retention rate of 87%. The UNL TSA has enrolled 156 students, with a 91% overall retention rate.
“What is impressive to me is the quality of students TSA attracts and to watch these students grow into critical-thinking, empathetic and sophisticated teacher leaders,” said Braden Foreman-Black, UNL Teacher Scholars Academy coordinator. “Now that we are seeing the payoff of these students now teaching in Nebraska schools, I cannot be prouder of ways we can continue to push the field of teaching to meet the current demands of schools.”
Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous earned his bachelor’s degree in education and special education from UNL in 2024. Today, he’s a special education teacher at North Ridge Middle School in Elkhorn Public Schools. Pechous said building lasting connections with his cohort community has played a key role in reinforcing his decision to become an educator. Those supportive relationships have continued, as graduates helped each other prepare for their first semester of classes last fall.
“I think having a group of like-minded people has been transformative, and it’s reassured me that teaching is what I was meant to do and what I’m supposed to do,” Pechous said.
