School of Education Student Accepted to Prestigious Warren Fellowship for Future Teachers
The Warren Fellowship’s main objective is designed to help educators in the social studies field learn more about the necessary historical and pedagogical tools for teaching future students about the Holocaust. Hrouda was one of only 18 preservice teachers selected for the fellowship.
“The Warren Fellowship is one of the very few national fellowships designed solely for preservice teachers. It helps them know more about the Holocaust and prepares them to teach the topic in an engaging way,” Jing Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of social studies education, said. “The selection process is competitive. One has to be truly outstanding to be selected.”
In addition to learning about the Holocaust and other genocides that have happened around the world, it allows educators to teach content that comes from a unique human perspective.
“Teaching from a human perspective helps students to build an understanding and appreciation for history in a way that teaching from a textbook cannot,” Hrouda said. “I am incredibly honored to have been selected to attend the Warren Fellowship. It is one of my largest and most exciting accomplishments and I cannot wait to implement what I learn at the fellowship into my own classroom someday.”
The institute will immerse participants in historical and pedagogical issues related to the Holocaust. Holocaust scholars from across the country will provide historical content, and university faculty and museum educators will provide pedagogical context.
“Since 2016, I have had multiple students accepted to the Warren Fellowship. All of them have been excellent representatives of USD, or South Dakota in general. The fact that the Warren Fellowship chooses our students each year tells me that our students have been great assets to the fellowship,” Williams said. “This also shows the high quality of our teacher education program here at USD. We have great students, and our excellent programs prepare them to become professional educators.”
After graduation, Hrouda plans to become a secondary education social studies teacher at the 7-12 grade level. She credits her success and future endeavors to the support system of instructors she found here at USD.
“Their excitement and passion for the content they teach has inspired me. As I reflect on my time at USD thus far, it is clear to see just how much I have grown as not only a student, but also as a future educator. Without the support of my amazing instructors, I would not be where I am today,” Hrouda said. “This is an incredibly prestigious fellowship to be selected for. It may open up new and exciting opportunities for me.”
The Warren Fellowship – created in 2003 and boasting more than 400 alumni – is developing a corps of preservice educators who want to learn more about the Holocaust and how to teach about it in their classrooms effectively. The Warren Fellowship is a fully funded program thanks to the generous support of The Warren Fellowship Endowment Fund, the Naomi and Martin Warren Family Foundation and Dr. Joseph and Cathy Jankovic.
