A young woman from Alameda has been chosen for a prestigious list in the U.S.
Teagan Loppe, who is in her fourth year of special education studies at the Minot State University (MSU), was selected for the 2016 edition of the “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” She was among 23 students from MSU chosen for the award.
“I was a little surprised at first, because I didn’t know how in-depth it actually was, and how much recognition you can get, and not just in Minot, where I’m attending university,” Loppe said in an interview with Lifestyles. “So that was pretty cool to see that it’s something a lot of universities do, and they recognize their students for it.”
Loppe was asked to apply for the list in her junior year, thanks to her academic achievements. She was hesitant at first, but she had the backing of her advisor.
“Last year I didn’t get the award, but other students that I went to classes with did, and a couple of friends were awarded it, so that was pretty cool that people I knew were being recognized,” said Loppe.
This past fall she got another letter in the mail, indicating her academic achievement was strong enough, and so she was asked to apply again. She was selected for the list this time.
A campus nomination committee and the editors of the school’s annual directory picked the students based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.
Loppe and the other “Who’s Who” students will be honored at a luncheon on April 20.
She decided to attend MSU because she wanted to study communication disorders, with goal of becoming a speech pathologist.
“The speech pathology program at Minot is one of the best in the … U.S., and in Canada, it’s one of the closest options,” she said.
Minot was closer to her home in Alameda than the nearest Canadian universities.
After a year-and-a-half of studies, she was no longer certain if she wanted to be a speech pathologist, so she started looking at other options. Loppe met with a professor at the university regarding special education, and she realized it’s what she should be studying.
Special education is of interest to her because her brother is deaf and hard-of-hearing, and a cousin has an intellectual disability. When she was younger, the Glen McGuire School for students with special needs was still open in Oxbow. It was brought together with the elementary and high school students when the Oxbow Prairie Horizons School opened in 2011.
She used to wonder why her cousin wasn’t studying with other students.
“Once I realized the significance and the impact my brother has had on my life, and what I’ve seen him go through, I realized special education was something I wanted to dedicate myself to, and make a difference in the lives of students who may have challenges, or who may have odds against them,” said Loppe.
She’s glad she changed the focus of her degree, because special education is so rewarding, and she knows she is making a difference for the students.
Loppe is currently working as a student teacher at the Carnduff Education Complex, and will graduate from MSU on May 13. Once she receives her marks and transcripts from the university, she has to apply for her teaching license for Saskatchewan, since she wants to remain in this province.
“Depending on how long that takes, I plan to substitute teach for a little while, hopefully until the end of the school year,” said Loppe. “And then in the fall, regardless of whether substitute teaching is where I need to go, or if there’s a job that opens up, I’ll definitely look into taking it.”
