Fresh meat, seniors, new teachers, college courses, labor of love. All these words explain Hagerty interns, such as social studies intern Priscilla Hudyberdi,  art intern Samuel Bigelow and band intern Kaleb Daniels.

Each year, a handful of senior UCF students intern at schools across Seminole County to get experience teaching. These interns are learning how to teach everything from math and social studies to art and music.

Interning can introduce and strengthen many skills that the future teachers would not learn from their college courses. While teaching, interns learn how to control classes, manage their time and find the right balance between teaching and activity. Hudyberdi, who is interning with social studies teacher Teresa Decio, has experienced this firsthand, learning about classroom management and improving her ability to manage the class.

“I have had troubles with students not doing what they should. [At a previous school], I had a few kids get up and start dancing in the middle of my teaching,” Hudyberdi said. 

Inspired by many of her past teachers, helping educators is something that Hudyberdi especially enjoys. She hopes to improve her teaching and follow in the footsteps of some of her best teachers.

“When I was a kid, I remember struggling in school. It made me want to be a nice teacher to help the students get through their hard days,” Hudyberdi said.

Bigelow loves to use his art skill to help high school students learn some of the more complicated techniques that aren’t taught to younger students.

“I love helping students with their work and it is very validating to have a skill that you can use to help people with,” Bigelow said.

Hudyberdi’s compassion for students has driven her through five years of education and closer to her final career goal. She has a degree in secondary education with a specialization in social studies and a minor in history. In addition, she was involved in a program where she transferred from Valencia college to UCF, already having an associate arts degree in social studies.

The supervising teachers help the interns learn how to be a better teacher, giving them tips on how they should teach and how to run the class. These supervisors play an important and active role in helping the interns prepare for their personal teaching career.

“[Hudyberdi] can look through my lesson plans. I do recommend for her to look through and change things. You can say I provide a framework for her,” Hudyberdi’s supervising teacher Teresa Decio said.

Hudyberdi plans to teach any high school social study class, specifically hoping to teach history and hopes to get a job as soon as possible. 

“As soon as I can get a [teaching position], I want to start working right away,” Hudyberdi said.

Daniels is very excited to start teaching as well, picturing himself conducting a band in the classroom and helping students learn their instruments. 

“I just want to teach, I love it, I just want to conduct my own 100 person band,” Daniels said.