Two alumni represented their green-and-gold alma mater through their excellence as aspiring teachers.

Scott Jarreau and Keyana Davis, alumni from the College of Education, were among 40 college alumni in Louisiana who were named to the Future Educator Honor Roll and were recognized by the Louisiana Board of Regents this past May. Both graduating last spring, Jarreau earned a degree in middle school education with concentrations in science and history, and Davis graduated with a degree in elementary education.

Jarreau did not know he was nominated for the award and was notified via email that he was chosen as a recipient.

“I took a screenshot, and I sent it to one of my former professors, I’m like, ‘Is this something I have to go to? Is this a big deal?, and she responds back, ‘This is because you’re a rockstar teacher,’” explained Jarreau. “I didn’t expect it.”

On top of his honor roll accomplishment, he was also named “Outstanding Senior in middle School Education, 4-8” and won the “Outstanding Student Teacher Award.”

Jarreau shared that he never expected to win such an award, not because he doubts his teaching abilities, but because he was never a good test-taker or an above-average student.

After receiving this accolade, Jarreau felt reaffirmed in his career option.

“I was never an athletic person,” said Jarreau. “I wasn’t ever a slacker, but I never did really well in school. I just couldn’t keep the focus on it. I was way too much into the social aspect of it. For me to finally kind of buckle down in my last years and be recognized for something for my ability to teach is just mind-blowing. I felt so humbled.”

One of the most memorable moments for Jarreau was being recognized at his commencement ceremony this past spring.

“It made me cry because you sit there, and you’ve gone through it all,” discussed Jarreau. “I went to Southeastern for five years. Five years or straight work, and you always think that, ‘Oh, I’ll never be the person that they talk about before graduation starts,’ but Dr. Crain went up there, and he was like, ‘We need to honor the new Board of Regents member Scott Jarreau,’ and they talked about how I won ‘Outstanding Student Teacher.’ I never thought that I would be the person they talked about before graduation starts.”

Jarreau has started his career in teaching this semester at St. Teresa Middle in Gonzales teaching middle school science.

Some long-term goals for Jarreau include being recognized at the White House as a “Teacher of the Year,” and teaching at various schools in Louisiana throughout his career. He thanked his parents and his educators who have inspired him to pursue his teaching profession.

One of Jarreau’s most important goals as an educator is to build a connection with his students so that after they leave his class, they would return and tell him about their accomplishments.

“If I can leave that good of impression that they would want to come back and talk to me and tell me about their successes, that would mean that world to me because, you know, we’re not doing this for the money,” explained Jarreau. “I want to better the next group of kids. I want to leave and impression because a lot of people have left good impressions on me.”

Jarreau cautioned potential education majors about the work load that comes with the degree, but he also emphasized that if teaching is someone’s passion, they should pursue their dream.

“Once you find your footing and once you find your place and how it’s all going to work for you, just stick to it because the hardest thing is figuring out your methods of doing things,” explained Jarreau. “Southeastern’s education department requires a lot. It was so overwhelming at first, but once you kind of find out how a teacher teaches and how you as a learner should respond to them – that’s when it’s the best.”