Alumni Highlights
Finalists for the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year is Georgia Southern alumnae Inga Cashon
One of ten finalists for the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year is Georgia Southern alumnae Inga Cashon. Cashon is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teacher at North Tattnall Middle School. In 2020, she received the Georgia STEM Scholar Award for her hard work integrating effective STEM education in the classroom.
Cashon credits the faculty and staff at the College of Education (COE) for supporting her success, with an emphasis on one COE professor in particular. She says, “There are so many professors that have contributed to my success, but Dr. Nathaniel Creighton Alexander, who passed away in September 2020, was the most influential in me becoming a teacher. He was not only a mentor to his students, but cared about our successes and educational achievements.”
Cashon has completed all of her higher education with COE at Georgia Southern. She has a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) with an emphasis in technology education, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Teaching and Learning with an emphasis in engineering and technology education. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum Studies, focusing on engineering and technology education.
When asked to give advice for new teachers, Cashon says, “Remember to stay passionate, and let your passion for education inspire both your students and you.”
College of Education Alumni selected as members of 40 Under 40 Class of 2022
College of Education alumni Michael Moran (M.Ed. Higher Education Administration, 2016) and John-Bernard Roberts (B.S. Special Education, 2009) were selected as members of Georgia Southern University’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022. This annual honor recognizes young alumni who have made significant strides in business, leadership, community, educational or philanthropic endeavors. Visit the Georgia Southern University Newsroom to read about this year’s 40 under 40 celebration.
For a full listing of this year’s honorees, visit the Georgia Southern University Alumni website.
CFP Extra Yard for Teachers at Georgia Southern University
Grant Applications now open for teachers in Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s primary platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering educators through the implementation of programs in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development.
The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes.
This year, Georgia Southern University Athletics is partnering with the CFP Extra Yard for Teachers initiative to show appreciation for teachers throughout Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties, the home locations of the University’s three campuses.
Twenty (20) $250 classroom improvement grants will be awarded to deserving teachers from the three counties based on grant applications and itemized budgets submitted before the deadline of 8 a.m. on Monday, August 29. Teachers who are named recipients of the Extra Yard for Teachers classroom grants will be recognized at the Georgia Southern Teacher Appreciation Football game on Saturday, September 24, when the Eagles take on Ball State. Each grant recipient will receive two complimentary tickets to the game and are asked to attend for an on-field presentation.
Extra Yard for Teachers classroom improvement grant applications are now open. Teachers may begin considering classroom initiatives or projects that they would like to submit for consideration.
A committee consisting of College of Education faculty and students will complete a double blind review of grant applications, where all personal and identifying information is removed from application information. Grant recipients will be notified no later than the second week in October, and a representative from Georgia Southern Athletics and/or the College of Education will visit schools to present a check to each winner on a date that is convenient for the schools, grant recipients, and University representatives.
“We look forward to seeing the initiatives and projects that teachers in Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties put forth as a part of the Extra Yards for Teachers initiative,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director of Student-Athlete Development Gleen Hart. “This partnership is exciting as we get to recognize teachers who are a vital part of our campus communities.”
Grant applications can be accessed at https://forms.gle/ug1YDzCceCcS8woBA, and will remain open until 8 a.m. on Monday, August 29.
‘I don’t like quitting’: Dual certification major beats Hodgkin lymphoma to walk across the commencement stage on May 10
Kimberly Dawn, or “Kimmy” as her friends know her, started her journey at Georgia Southern University because it was a place of comfort. A native of Ellabell, Georgia, Dawn grew up only 25 miles from the Statesboro Campus. When her stepmother suddenly passed away during her senior year of high school, Dawn’s decision was final. She would stay close to family and attend the university she always cared for as an almost local.
It was during her first school observations that are required of Georgia Southern’s education students that Dawn met a paraprofessional who inspired her to pursue a dual certification degree in both elementary and special education.
“I watched as she addressed students in the classroom who were struggling with techniques I had never considered,” said Dawn. “Her experience in both general and special education classroom settings gave her different strategies to utilize with all students. That’s when I knew I wanted to have that knowledge and be able to do the same.”
A member of the Chi Omega sorority on campus, Dawn’s college experience was “amazing,” even though her junior year brought a new and difficult challenge. At 21 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
“I found a lump in my neck,” she explained. “It didn’t go away, and even the doctor said it was probably nothing. Then everything moved really fast from there.”
After a biopsy on her birthday in February, Dawn was faced with a decision. Treatment would need to begin the Friday before spring break. Should she medically withdraw?
“I kept thinking I was halfway through the semester, and a secretary of an organization, and I don’t like quitting,” said Dawn.
With the support of her community, including her family, sorority, education cohort and professors, Dawn made it through the semester and today, proudly can say she is in remission from cancer and graduating this week.
“My professors were so flexible and supportive during treatment,” she explained. “In the dual certification program at Georgia Southern, you grow close to your cohort and your professors, as you spend four years with them and grow with them.”
Dawn has accepted an elementary teaching position in Columbus, Georgia, where she will relocate this summer.
“I am very excited to be in my own classroom and shaping the foundation of students’ knowledge,” she said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else.”
New heights: Triple Eagle Janay Daniel blends degrees for new role with leading global food supplier
When Janay Daniel (’17, ’19, ’22) walked across the stage at Paulson Stadium on May 10 it was her third graduation in the “Prettiest Little Stadium in America.” She’s using all three degrees to her advantage as she pivots her managerial role with a global food supplier.
After earning a degree from Georgia Southern University in 2017 with a bachelor’s in mathematics, Daniel taught in the classroom for a year, but decided to return to the University and work while completing a bachelor’s in Spanish. Back in Statesboro, she was offered a position at Crider Foods, a commercial canning company located in Stillmore, Georgia, and viewed it as an opportunity to blend her skill sets.
“I looked at this as a new way to use my mathematics and Spanish degrees and took a position as the company’s international customer service representative,” explained Daniel.
Yet, her passion for research and statistics remained.
“I always wanted to get my master’s degree,” she said. “But I wanted a degree with more of a research focus, something more applicable that I could use the tools taught in the program beyond theory.”
The College of Education introduced the master’s in evaluation, assessment, research and learning in 2018, and Daniel said it was just the degree she was looking for.
“I told my husband, ‘here we go again,’” she laughed. “I am going back to school!”
The fully online master’s program allowed Daniel to continue her work at Crider Foods while completing her coursework.
“My supervisor has been very supportive of me completing this program and was interested to see how Crider could potentially use the knowledge I was gaining to assist in optimizing operations and efficiency,” said Daniel.
Since being enrolled in the program, Daniel also accepted a new position in the company, as the product services manager, where she ensures that the production process, from sales team logistics to customer delivery, is seamless.
“Everything I have learned in the M.Ed. Evaluation, Assessment, Research and Learning program, I have been able to apply it to my work and life,’ she said. “I truly enjoyed this degree, from learning statistical software to breaking down programs and being able to have a formal process to evaluate the success of the system.”
Daniel’s biggest takeaway is her updated viewpoint, and growth through the degree program.
“I have been introduced to new perspectives,” she explained. “The way I look at things has changed because I am considering the investigative aspects and angles of programs, systems and softwares.
“This program helped me realize that while I might not want to be a teacher in the classroom, there are many ways in which we teach every day in various careers.”