Secondary Education major Elizabeth Shaffer is a driven junior at William Penn University on her way to becoming a math teacher. She doesn’t intend to stop learning after she finishes at William Penn, with graduate school planned down the road to be able to teach at a collegiate level.
Elizabeth came to William Penn University from Omaha, Nebraska for the opportunity to be a part of many different activities and to engage with a close-knit but diverse student body. “You can be a student, a musician, and an athlete all at the same time,” she says. The small class sizes have also helped her to form meaningful relationships with professors and staff, an opportunity that is hard to find in bigger schools. “As an undergraduate student, I have been able to take part in a hiring committee as well as curriculum development for a collegiate class, which is something that is normally reserved for graduate students in larger universities.”
Engaging in student life and activities is very important to Elizabeth. She currently participates in the WP Athletic Band, WP Pep Band, Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, WP Choir, and the WP Education Club. Outside of school, she is a high school youth group leader at First Christian Church in Oskaloosa.