Published: May 4, 2016
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This month, graduates will celebrate their hard work and well-deserved degrees, but many students have also gone out of their way to earn a minor as well. Sayoni Nyakoon will pick up minors in Leadership Studies and Education. Here is why she — and many others — sought additional learning experiences and an Education Minor.

Q. How has the Education Minor added to your coursework and experience at CU Boulder?

The education minor has added to my understanding of the education system and inequity here in the United States. I've used readings from my education courses to support my papers in non-education classes many times.

Q. How might the Education Minor help you after graduation? 

The education minor will definitely help me after graduation, because I plan to become an educator and go to graduate school. I will use the skills I gained in seminar and practicum to inform my teaching practice. 

Q. In addition to your already heavy workload in humanities and leadership studies, what was it that attracted you to education?

My father immigrated from Liberia, West Africa and in that country, education isn't a guarantee, it’s a privilege. Because we moved a lot as a family, I also saw how unequal the quality of education in schools very near to each other here in the U.S. can be. For these reasons I was draw to education as a vehicle for rectifying some of our society's ills and its potential for stopping the cycle of poverty. My mother instilled a strong work ethic in me and stripped away any sense of entitlement I may have had — for these reasons I've never shy away from work — and I do appreciate her for it. Because of both my parents I'm graduating magna cum laude and attending graduate school with a generous scholarship. 


Learn more about the Education Minor.