Since its founding, Drexel University has always evolved to meet the demands of a changing world. Through the recent integration between the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences, students have access to more academic opportunities than ever before.
A shining example of the new integration in action is Mark Macwana, a third-year BS in secondary education in general sciences with a minor in science, technology, and society. Throughout his time at Drexel, Macwana has provided an exemplary model of how dedication and community-building can share the educators of the future.
Despite being the only science education specialist in his year, Macwana actually began his college career as an English major. “I knew I wanted to go into education,” Macwana described, “but I didn't really know if the English BA with the education minor was right for me.”
That uncertainty eventually led him to the office of undergraduate advisor Dave Appleton, whose support, Macwana emphasized, was a substantial help in solidifying his decision to pursue education.
“We spent about three days on these 3-hour Zoom calls, just talking about the program. When I was talking with him, I felt like my concerns were being heard, and he was very caring; he really wanted to make sure, even if I wasn't an education major, that I had the perfect fit.”
Appleton even introduced the idea of being a science educator to Macwana, who was taken in by the unique opportunities the specialization offered: “I was the first in maybe three years to utilize all of these science education resources that were just going completely unused.”Luckily for Macwana, though he had a soft spot for English, he “love[s] sciences, too.”
But Macwana had a new problem. “I was missing the humanities side of things,” he recounts—an issue he had never faced with the English major. It was Dr. Colin Hennessey Elliot, STEM education professor, that suggested Macwana pursue a College of Arts and Sciences minor; one that “fit well with my program of study,” according to Macwana, “while exposing me to the humanities I’d felt lacking in.”
That individualized support from the School of Education would only continue to define Macwana’s educational journey, even as his involvement with CoAS grew. “With my plan of study being as ‘weird’ as it is, the understanding I’ve gotten from both the admin and the faculty in the School of Education has been such a privilege. I just have to send one email, and it's answered right there and then.”
The more time he afforded the School of Education, the more time its staff afforded him—through his work-study at the college’s front desk, his role as a School of Education student ambassador, and his growing prominence in the School of Education’s student organizations, Macwana forged personal connections with not only his professors, but his administrators and peers.
“I get constant check-ins: ‘Hey, how's co-op doing?’ ‘How's this, that, and third?’ Or I'll get emails like, ‘Hey, I think this event might be good for you.’ It really opens me up to opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise if I weren't in this college.”
Opportunities, Macwana explained, like the School’s recent Japan trip—a reflection, he argued, of the School of Education’s dedication to creating well-rounded students. “While we have a lot of study abroad opportunities throughout Drexel,” says Macwana, “you usually have to pay a little bit out of pocket for them; and all I had to pay for was my plane ticket. The trip overall lent me a more holistic view of education, as well as the culturally responsive pedagogy aspects that come from being immersed in a culture different from your own.”
That well-roundedness permeates Macwana’s School of Education experience: from his position as the president of the Drexel Student Council of Exceptional Children—through which he has forged connections with educators throughout Pennsylvania—to his current co-op position at the Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy. In both instances, he likens his path to being “grandfathered.”
“The program does a very neat thing, because it's so small, where you’re guided into these different pathways that you can tailor to yourself,” says Macwana. “I wouldn’t have gotten that if I didn’t go for the School of Education.”
Likewise, Macwana’s closeness with the College of Arts and Sciences has broadened his career horizons in a completely unique direction. “I was recommended for my current co-op by an School of Education professor, and I’ve partnered with CoAS to bring a research program into it. We’re specifically looking at AI within the context of broader climate research; and it’s tailored for K-12 education.” That underlying support from both programs has allowed Macwana to journey beyond his comfort zone on two fronts: as a secondary educator working with K-8 students, and as a trailblazer in the field of AI-integrated education.
“Through this co-op, we're designing a unit plan for artificial intelligence in schools. That's a thing that the school district of Philadelphia really wants to get on top of, but there's no curriculum out there that defines how you're supposed to teach AI literacy—so we’re really at the forefront.”
Though he entered his co-op unfamiliar with both his age group and long-term teaching placements, he feels he has made the most of his unusual position. “Despite preferring secondary-level students, I’ve still picked up on a lot of ‘tricks of the trade’ that you don't really learn through theory and lectures, but by actually doing. That capital-E ‘Experimental’ part gives you an opportunity to really explore what sort of educator you are, and how you can build yourself starting now.”
Throughout his educational career, Macwana continually returns to the idea of community. “The big thing is that these connections—these little clubs that you can join, the people you can interact with—they’re not just to pad your resume, but they actually lead to real opportunities and real adventures that you can go on. And with how intimate and personable the School of Education is, you’re always being pushed toward that and discouraged from the generic, saturated, ‘C’s get degrees’ mindset.” Macwana shrugs. “And while maybe that’s true, the School of Education’s way is to always push you to be the best version of yourself.”