Erica Emmendorfer

UTEP Cohort 1 (Class of 2005)
1st Grade Teacher, UChicago Charter School North Kenwood/Oakland Campus

 

What made you decide to pursue teaching?

I went to the University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a doctor; I was pre-med. But when it came time to start focusing on the MCAT and applying to medical school, I really started to step back and think about what I actually love and what motivates me. I had wanted to become a pediatrician because I loved working with kids, so I started to think about teaching and how that might be something I really enjoyed more.

Why did you choose UChicago UTEP?

UTEP was actually brand new when I was in undergrad, so they were just figuring things out. I was part of the first cohort. But it just seemed like a really great opportunity to become a teacher and enter the classroom truly prepared for a career in teaching.

What have you carried from UTEP throughout your career?

Well, I obviously never went back to medical school, so UTEP prepared me to be a lifelong teacher. I couldn't imagine doing anything else anymore. By the end of my residency year, I was so ready to start my own classroom, and eleven years later, here I still am.