Sean Savage

“I was in the military for 23 years and was a certified military instructor, teaching weaponry and construction for the Navy, building lesson plans, teaching and doing hands-on instructing. That’s how I decided I wanted to go back to school and become a teacher. Being able to see that ‘light bulb’ – when a student sees what you’re teaching and they understand it – making that connection, that bond, is truly what it’s all about.

I came to M State after getting turned away by a four-year university. I dropped out of high school before going into the military and didn’t have a lot of academic experience. I started at the college last year, before there was an Elementary Education Transfer Pathway, so I worked with my instructors to be sure I was taking all the right classes I’d need. The program officially started this year, and this spring, I’ll be the first to graduate from it.

I’d like to go on to a four-year university after that. Getting a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in history is my plan. Ultimately, I want to teach third through fifth grades. 

I would tell anybody thinking about coming to M State that you’re going pay less than half the cost of what it would take to go to a university. There’s housing here, and you’re not going to beat the class sizes here, where you’re one-on-one with instructors. If you want connection, a small peer group, excellent teachers and academics, and a cool place to live, this is where you want to go.”