Callie Kniffin graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University School of Education’s Selected Studies in Education undergraduate program in 2023, with a minor in Spanish.
Currently, she is taking a Higher/Postsecondary Education master’s degree, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support through SOE. She is also a graduate assistant for curriculum development in the University’s Office of Student Living, where she was named Graduate Student of the Year in April 2024.
PAST: What memory from your time at SOE do you most cherish?
Something I cherish from my time in the School of Education was being a peer advisor for first-year students. This experience, along with the connections I was able to make from it, helped me decide on my future career path and to build my resume for graduate school!
PRESENT: What are you working on now that you’d like to share with fellow alums?
“I hope that SOE and its alums are on the right side of history when it comes to fighting for all students to be heard, seen, and valued in the education system.”
For the Higher/Postsecondary Education master’s degree program, I have served in two practicum roles. In Spring 2024, I got the opportunity to work in the Class Deans Program at Le Moyne College under Mark Godleski and Allison Farrell. In this role, I was able to experience an entirely different institution and to learn about the processes within a small, private, Jesuit college community.
In Fall 2024, I served the Kessler Scholars Program at Syracuse University, which is located in the Intercultural Collective and which is a scholarship opportunity for first-generation college students.
During my time at Kessler, I was able to help establish a new Advisory Board, as well as to work alongside students and staff to create a proposal for a cultural immersion trip to New York City during Spring Break 2026!
FUTURE: What is your hope for the future of education and learning?
I hope that the future of education and learning is inclusive and holistic. In an ever-changing landscape of education, I hope that SOE and its alums are on the right side of history when it comes to fighting for all students to be heard, seen, and valued in the education system.