Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent Matt Fisher (far left) and School Board President Hank McFarland (far right) stand with PathBack recipients Dwain Duff (left) and Michelle Fuentes (right), (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Grand Island Senior High School 2024 graduates Michelle Fuentes and Dwain Duff plan to return to teach in Grand Island Public Schools after they graduate from college.
The students signed agreements at a reception prior to the Thursday, June 13, Board of Education meeting and were introduced at the Board of Education meeting.
This is the seventh year of the school district’s PathBack Program, which mentors future teachers and offers them a teaching job after college.
At the reception, Superintendent Matt Fisher said, “This is a really a neat program for us to be able to recognize future teachers.”
Fuentes plans to attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney and major in elementary education. She would like to teach students in second, third, or fourth grade.
Fuentes said her family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was young. She said the teachers with the greatest influences on her were her elementary school teachers.
“They just always made me feel very welcome and were supportive,” she said.
Throughout her time at GIPS, Fuentes said she gained better critical thinking and problem-solving skills and developed positive relationships with her teachers.
“Many teachers have been great role models that have impacted me in positive ways,” Fuentes said. “Because of these teachers’ positive impacts, I developed a passion for teaching because I wanted to be that positive role model for other students as well. Seeing how teachers help students grow by just being someone who supports them and helps them is something so beautiful and rewarding that few careers get to see and enjoy.”
Duff plans to attend Central Community College in Grand Island, then the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He wants to teach at the middle school level and major in history or science. He is also interested in coaching soccer.
Duff explained why he is interested in becoming a teacher.
“When I was at a young age, I liked helping people. I think it’s my true calling,” he said.
“I could not think of another city where I would want to start my teaching career. This is more than a job; it is my passion and goal to guide others to success,” Duff said.
Brian Kort, GIPS Recruiting and Retention Coordinator, leads the PathBack program. Kort said the program is a benefit to the recipients not only because they will have a job waiting for them after college, but because they will also receive mentor support and professional development opportunities from GIPS.
