Starting July 1 Parris Malone, a junior at Tennessee State, will begin serving as President for the Student Tennessee Education Association, the largest professional organization in the state that advocates for educators, students preparing to become educators, and students in the public school system.
Malone has been apart of TSU chapter of TEA since she first started classes at the University.
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Q: What’s the most important task you want to accomplish as president?
A: The single most important task I would like to accomplish during my time as president is to get all education students to realize the importance of being a member of their pre-professional organization. The Student Tennessee Education Association not only gives vital information and professional for each member, but they also have great member benefits that many students don’t take advantage of. I want to stress the importance of joining and remaining a member after you leave your prospective university.
Q: What are you preparing to do before you assume your new role July 1st?
A: As of now I’m taking in as much information about the organization as possible. I will be the go to person for each student member when they have any questions, concerns, or simply want to talk. I want to make sure that I’m on top of everything I need to know so that I can be of assistance to them when they need me.
Q: What’s the impetus of your passion for teaching History?
A: My love for History stemmed from the great teachers I had throughout high school and my professors here at Tennessee State University. I have known for as long as I can remember that I wanted to teach, but I was never sure of the subject. When my love for History began to grow I decided that I want to give to my students the passion that my teachers had given to me.
Q: What has been the most difficult task for you as a college student?
A: The single most difficult task for me has been passing classes! I’m kidding, honestly the hardest thing I have had to deal with as a college student is remaining focused on what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and who I’m doing it for. In May of 2014 I will become the first college graduate in my immediate family.
Although my family never put the stress there, I often overworked myself because I want to make them proud and set a good example for my younger family members. I soon realized that trying to carry the load of my entire family was impossible. I also realized that the stress was unnecessary because my family would be proud of me no matter where I decided to go in life.
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