Page 14 | Thursday, April 28, 2022
Old Gold & Black | Graduation
ECONOMICS
GRACE LYONS ESSEX THAYER Sports Editor
Katie Fox/ Old Gold & Black
Among many other factors, one thing that really drove Grace Lyons to Wake Forest was the weather; North Carolina is far warmer than a Massachusetts winter. “I hated the cold weather,” Lyons said. “Then I took a tour of the campus and absolutely loved it.” Early into her time in Winston-Salem, Lyons found a home in the economics department. “I decided to take ECN 150 to see how I liked it. My brother was an economics major,” Lyons said. “I took the class in freshman year with Professor Megan Regan and loved it. I liked the quantitative nature of it and the ability to problem-solve.” While that first economics class set Lyons towards being an economics major, many people had an impact on her academic career along the way. “The most impactful professor I had would probably be my thesis advisor, Amanda Griffith,” Lyons said. “I’ve met with her quite a bunch, and she’s been awesome as a mentor in economics, but also just in life and giving advice.” Dr. Christina Dalton also proved to be important to Lyons’ time in the department. “I do research with Professor Dalton,” Lyons said. “I’ve worked with her now for two years. So she’s also been a huge role model in the department.” Along with having several important professors, Lyons mentioned classes that drove her interests. “I took a global health class in economics,” Lyons said. “The class looked at healthcare in developing countries and how to use economic mechanisms to help people save for emergencies. ” Outside of the economics department, Lyons credits an interest in science with courses in bioethics and epidemiology. Lyons was also involved in several extracurriculars. “I’m the president of the Club Equestrian team
on campus,” Lyons said. “That’s something that I enjoy having, getting to continue to horseback ride throughout college. Being a tour guide, teaching assistant and research assistant was impactful. “All these extracurriculars have really just strengthened my sense of community here at Wake Forest,” Lyons said. “I knew I wanted a small school because I enjoyed having that close knit community.” After several years in the economics department, Lyons has a lot of advice to offer. “Reach out to the faculty in the department,” Lyons said. “A lot of the things that I’ve gained from the department have been from making connections with faculty and doing research.” Lyons continued: “If you take a course you like, go and speak to the professor about their research and learn what they do. They are really helpful.” “Grace has made so many wonderful contributions to the economics department in her four years here,” Griffith said. “She has really stood out as one of our best students with her thoughtful and careful approach to research.” After graduation, Lyons will move to Washington D.C. to work for Deloitte in their Government and Public Services consulting group. But she’s also thinking long term. “I’m hoping to do that for a little while,” Lyons said. “I’d love to go back to school at some point and maybe get a Ph.D. in economics or behavioral economics. For now, though, Lyons is looking back on her time at Wake Forest fondly. Wake Forest has been an amazing experience for me,” Lyons said. I feel like I’ve made so many connections that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Whether that be faculty or friends, it’s become a second home and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
LAUREN ROBERTSON CHRISTA DUTTON News Editor
Katie Fox/ Old Gold & Black
Since childhood, Lauren Robertson always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She was one of those kids who used to force her siblings to play school with her, making them sit down and listen to her lessons. So when she arrived at Wake Forest four years ago, there was no doubt as to what she would study — what she didn’t know was how many opportunities being an elementary education major would offer her. After graduation, Robertson will be teaching English at an elementary school in the Canary Islands in Spain as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grantee. Outside the classroom, Robertson serves as the secretary for Wake Women Lead, an organization dedicated to connecting Wake Forest women with at-risk youth in Winston-Salem through tutoring and mentoring relationships. Robertson is also the lead intern for the Skip Prosser program, a project that promotes literacy in fourth-grade students in the Forsyth County and encourages them to read independently. This project is spearheaded by Associate Professor of English Education Dr. Alan Brown and has become the umbrella project for many literacy programs that involve Wake Forest undergraduates. Brown’s scholarship is predominantly centered around sports literacy, the idea of increasing students’ interest in reading through sports-related literature. Robertson has spent the past two years doing research with Brown on sports literacy; she will also be leading an after-school sports literacy program in Spain. Brown has enjoyed working alongside Robertson and speaks very highly of her. “Lauren is an ambitious, dedicated, orga-
nized and hard-working student,” Brown said. “Those descriptive characteristics made her perfect for this position and helped us take the Skip Prosser Literacy Program to new heights despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, forever cementing her legacy at Wake Forest.” Last semester, Robertson was a full-time student teacher in a fifth-grade classroom at Sherwood Forest Elementary School. This was quite an adjustment for her, as she was working a full-time job while the rest of her friends were having a normal college experience. She added: “The first few weeks were spent getting acquainted and spending a lot of time in classrooms. But then on week three, you take over teaching a subject, and I was like ‘oh my gosh, what am I doing?’ It felt very ‘real world.’” One of her favorite memories from her student teaching semester was her last day, not because she was ready to leave but because her students gave her a special send-off celebration. The students decorated the classroom in Wake Forest colors and gifted her their favorite book to add to her future classroom library. They also gave her a scrapbook full of their favorite memories of the year. “It was a really special day,” Robertson said. “[Student teaching] is very time-consuming. . . but overall it was so worthwhile, and I learned a ton by just being [in the classroom].” Teaching fifth grade was especially meaningful for Robertson because her fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Hossler, had a significant impact on her and inspired her love for education and English. “He treated you not just like a student, but like a person,” said Robertson. After her year in Spain, she will be attending Vanderbilt University to get her Master’s in Education. She plans to teach for five to 10 years and then would like to pursue a career in educational leadership and administration.
