Dr. Janet Eckerson has “been on the whole journey” with 体育菠菜大平台 online Spanish 教育 M.A.Ed. 毕业生Brenda Lopez Adame

When Brenda Lopez Adame graduated from high school, she did not see a career in education in her future, but a high school teacher saw her potential and would not let her get away from a true calling that easily. 
 
“My high school teacher was Janet Eckerson,” Lopez Adame explained. “She was the one that asked me, ‘Have you considered teaching?’我说，‘绝对不行.’” 
 
Little did Lopez Adame know; her former high school teacher would hold many different roles in her life and become a pivotal figure in her career and educational journey. 
 
“We have such a long history together,” Dr. Janet Eckerson, Assistant Professor of Spanish 教育 and the Graduate Program Chair for Modern Languages at the 内布拉斯加大学 at Kearney 说. “Brenda was my student in Spanish for Spanish speakers classes at Crete High when I was a teacher there.”   
 
Lopez Adame was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and raised in Crete, Nebraska. 高中毕业后, she still did not want to become a teacher and studied business at the 内布拉斯加大学 at Lincoln. During this time, Lopez Adame spent a lot of time volunteering at local schools.

“Being in schools was just a hobby and something I enjoyed doing on the side,洛佩兹·亚当斯说.  

在上了几门商业课程之后, she realized that her hobby was really a passion she wanted to explore deeper.  
 
“我联系了布朗博士. Eckerson and was like, ‘You know, maybe I do want to do this teaching thing,’洛佩兹·亚当斯说. 
 
Dr. Eckerson was thrilled to mentor Lopez Adame through becoming a Spanish educator. 
 
“Shortly after Brenda went to UNL to study to become a Spanish teacher, I started working in Lincoln at Lincoln High where I was able to host her student teaching in my classroom at Lincoln High,” Dr. Eckerson说. 她一毕业, 担任系主任, I was so fortunate to be able to help hire her to be my colleague! We even shared a classroom before I came to 体育菠菜大平台 – and of course, I helped talk her into our master's 程序, 西班牙M.A.Ed." 

 
博士. Eckerson’s encouragement and Lopez Adame’s goal of one day getting her doctorate, 洛佩兹·阿达姆就读于 体育菠菜大平台在线西班牙语教育硕士.A.Ed. 程序. To prepare for a doctoral 程序, Lopez Adame decided to write a thesis and Dr. Eckerson was the chair of her thesis committee.  
 
“I decided to write a thesis on heritage speakers and dictations,洛佩兹·亚当斯说. 正因为如此, I've had opportunities here at the school district to be able to teach groups of teachers and showcase what I have found in my study. I think it has brought a lot of professional learning within my district.” 

Lopez Adame’s time in 体育菠菜大平台’s master’s 程序 has not only benefited her and her district, 还有她的学生.  
 
“A lot of the assignments were creating something that you can use in your classroom. I think that was really helpful,” Lope Adame 说.  
 
Lopez Adame was attracted to 体育菠菜大平台’s 程序 because it was fully online, allowing her the flexibility needed as a full-time teacher. 
 
“Even though it’s online, you still get to know your professors,洛佩兹·亚当斯说. “We would have meetings once a week where we could actually see each other and have discussions. I think it was surprising that you were still able to build a connection with the professors and have it seem like it was in-person, 但它是在线的.” 
 
The format of the 程序 allows students to form new connections and continue old ones, 就像洛佩兹·亚当斯和劳伦斯博士的关系一样. 埃克森已经建立了. 
 
“She’s been on the whole journey,洛佩兹·亚当斯说. “She's really good at building relationships with students. Having that relationship already built, it was really easy to follow her recommendations. She is so knowledgeable that I didn't question her advice.” 
 
Lopez Adame graduated with her Spanish 教育 M.A.Ed. at 体育菠菜大平台’s Spring 2023 commencement ceremony. 

 
“这是有趣的, I often think about how much the same characteristics I saw in her as a high school student are the ones that are helping her walk across the stage with a graduate degree,” Dr. Eckerson说. “她是如此坚定, persistent and willing to put in the work, even when there are obstacles; and she’s always been that way! 我也看着她长大, in the sense of her confidence and poise, 既是老师也是学者.” 
 
Dr. Eckerson performed her final act in mentoring Lopez Adame through her master’s degree by hooding her at commencement.  
 
“I’m so incredibly proud of Brenda and grateful I get to be a part of another of her amazing achievements,” Dr. Eckerson说. “It’s so wonderful to see her continued success.” 
 
Lopez Adame gives a lot of credit for her continued success to Dr. Eckerson. 
 
“为传统人士教授西班牙语, that's been my passion is teaching those type of classes because I want to give back,洛佩兹·亚当斯说. “Dr. Eckerson was such an important part of my life and I feel like she helped me achieve a lot of what I've achieved, I want to do that for other students as well.”