Hard work and dedication pay off.

That’s the lesson Brooke Holman let sink in as she sat on the commencement stage as a Chancellor’s Medallion winner. And it’s a lesson she hopes to share with students in her own classroom when she becomes a teacher.

“As a teacher, Brooke wants her students to do their very best so they can reach their greatest potential,” said Karen Holland, special events coordinator. “She is passionate about teaching and wants to pass that enthusiasm on to her students.”

Brooke’s passion for teaching was evident throughout her time at University of Michigan-Dearborn. 

As a student, she worked at UM-Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center, moving up to a teaching assistant in the fall of 2011. That experience gave Brooke real-world experience leading a classroom of children while working alongside other staff members.

Brooke kept things interesting in her own academic pursuits as she contributed to the education field.

Already, she’s a co-author of an article published in the Michigan Science Teachers Association (MSTA) Journal. And her internship project, which used the inquiry process to document student growth and understanding, was chosen for display and presentation for the Education of Young Children Conference.

But, of course, Brooke’s just getting started. She hopes to become an early childhood education teacher and plans to obtain a reading specialist or an ESL master’s degree.

“I hope to be the teacher they remember years after leaving my classroom,” she said. “I want to make a difference in their lives.”