Rider alumna recognized as a top student teacher in NJ

Victoria Burd '22 received the 2022 Distinguished Clinical Intern Award from the New Jersey Department of Education. The award recognizes the 15 top graduates of educator preparation programs in the state's colleges and universities.

The 2022 Distinguished Clinical Intern Awards were awarded during a virtual ceremony on June 8.

Burd graduated from Rider as a secondary education and history double major. This fall, she will begin her career as a social studies teacher in Ewing High School’s special classes program.

"This award was only possible because of the amazing mentors I had guiding me through student teaching," she says. "To receive this award feels like a credit not just to how I've grown throughout the student-teaching experience, but also to those who helped me grow to this point."

Burd particularly credits her cooperating teacher at Ewing High School, where she student taught during her senior year, Edward Dutch; her advisers, Dr. Mark Pearcy, professor in the Department of Teacher Education, and Dr. Erica Ryan, associate professor in the Department of History and Philosophy; student teaching supervisor Marilyn Pruce; and Erica Spence-Umstead,  director of field placement.

Rider's College of Education and Human Services ensures students are prepared to enter the classroom post-graduation through numerous fieldwork experiences beginning students' sophomore year. Students typically have at least one or multiple fieldwork experiences per semester, culminating in a full-semester, student-teaching experience their senior year.

"Each of these real-world classroom experiences shape students' teaching philosophy and help them develop into outstanding teachers who impact their communities," says Dr. Jason Barr, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. "Victoria is a prime example of how influential these experiences are in preparation for the student teaching semester. We are all incredibly proud of her." 

Burd had a fieldwork experience or student teaching experience each semester, at times having as many as three at once. In addition to this critical career preparation, she successfully completed her bachelor's degree at Rider while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, participating in organizations and working anywhere from 25-40 hours per week to support herself. 

"I am incredibly honored to receive this distinction, and to feel like I've ended my education at Rider on the highest note possible," she says.