Originally published on October 20, 2017.
A Cedar City native, Elyse Beard was very familiar with the excellent reputation of Southern Utah University and knew she wanted to be a part of the elementary education program.
In the program, Elyse quickly learned that she loved teaching and working with her community to create better experiences for her students. Her time in the classroom helped her realize that she had a unique sense of creativity and worked well in a group.
“I realized while I was teaching that I had actually accomplished something big,” said Elyse. “It hit me that I was about to have the legitimate skills to have a career, and I felt excited that I knew what I was doing in the classroom.”
This excitement came from passionate professors who inspired Elyse to learn in a professional, yet fun way. Elyse still remembers Peggy Wittwer as one of her favorite professors.
“She had a way of empowering us to be the kind of teachers that make big differences in students' lives,” said Elyse. “I always felt inspired to find ways to touch the lives of whoever I was teaching with more than just typical knowledge--she wanted us to find ways to touch their lives with love as well.”
Elyse’s passion for making a positive impact on young children has led her to become the Co-Founder and Editor-in-chief of a new start-up called Bravery magazine, a quarterly publication for kids that features strong female role models. The kickstarter campaign for the magazine more than doubled its goal, raising over $55,000 with 1207 backers.
Elyse’s responsibilities in the production of the magazine include writing all of the content, creating educational activities, and corresponding with artists and businesswomen, to name a few.
“I love learning about the women we are featuring and then finding unique and fun ways to teach our audience about her through fun content and art,” said Elyse. “I have found that my elementary education knowledge I gained at SUU has been so helpful as we've created content with a focus on educational activities.”
Learn more about the Elementary Education program.