Help Kelsey become a teacher
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Kelsey and I am an aspiring social studies teacher. I am sharing my story in order to help fund my Master of Arts in Education and secondary social studies teaching license.
My passion for education emerged while learning about the disconnects in my own education. In high school, I learned how lucky I was to have a positive self concept as a learner. As a white woman living in the suburbs of Minnesota, I saw myself reflected in school. My teachers looked like me and nothing about what I learned in school directly challenged my identities or worldviews. I had peers, however, whose histories were erased or mistold in our schools, whose identities were seen as problems rather than assets, and who struggled to see themselves as empowered learners within our education system. The dominant education systems today are based on outdated models for learning that were never designed for everyone to succeed.
This introduction to education did not foster a particularly optimistic outlook on classroom teaching...
But I knew that understanding those foundations was essential, and I deepened that learning in my undergraduate studies at Macalester College where I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.8. I was the only student in my class to graduate with a double major in Educational Studies and American Studies. I also completed a concentration in Urban Studies, and together these fields helped me examine issues of identity and inequity in education. I examined the histories that have shaped our current education system and developed critical approaches to teaching and learning. Through my majors, I developed skills in navigating complexity, questioning assumptions, and continuous learning and reflection that will prove invaluable for me as I grow as an educator.

In addition to my studies, I have learned just as much from my time with students and educators. I have held many roles in schools and educational settings in Minnesota; Massachusetts; Zibo, China; and California. I have taught students in grades 4-12 for over 300 hours. In these roles I have seen and felt the complex web of possibilities, limitations, imagination, and power of a classroom.

Even after all my time studying education and being in classrooms, I was not convinced that the classroom was where I could, or wanted to, work and make change. I owe my shift in perspective to the educators and young people I have learned and worked with at World Savvy . They have shown me it is possible to be a visionary educator who works towards broader change within a classroom.
I have seen how, as an educator, I can work to center social justice approaches and global competencies in the classroom. I have learned how to read between the lines of standards and see these spaces as critical gaps to fill. I understand my responsibility to ensure that my students have the opportunity to engage with perspectives, histories, and narratives that are often untold or mistold.
With these approaches and the social sciences as my foundation, I can work with young people to examine some of the world’s most intractable issues in an empowering way. This process is complex and sometimes contradictory, but I recognize and welcome this reality.

For few weeks after receiving my acceptances from Stanford and the University of Minnesota, I didn’t allow myself to get excited or feel too much pride. Both are wonderful programs, but they are underfunded. I was dreading making the decision to go further into student debt. I didn’t get nearly enough scholarship funding from either school and either program would more than triple my student debt.
I do not take this decision lightly, because it does not only impact me. I am making this decision as one of many other first generation college students who have shown up in elite academic spaces and are changing the cultures and systems there. I am making this decision for my future students whose education I will be trusted with and who will benefit from me having high quality preparation.
I have officially accepted my offer from Sanford and will begin classes in June. The Stanford Graduate School of Education is in the top 5 in the country. But, the cost of attendance is $102,586. During the program, I will have a school placement and be taking classes full time for a full calendar year (12-13 hour days not including homework), so I cannot work to offset the costs. I am fortunate to have received $22,000 in scholarships, but that leaves a gap of $80,586.
I will start school in June, so I am asking for financial support to help lighten the burden of student loans while I take the biggest next step of my life and take on the already weighty responsibility of teaching.
I am so thankful for my family, partner, friends, co-workers, and mentors who have supported, and continue to support, me throughout this entire process. I would have not gotten this far without you all.
Thank you to my donors! Please know that I receive all donations with great appreciation. I know it is difficult to decide where and how to use limited resources to help others. Thank you for choosing to support me as a future educator!
Thank you for helping create a new teacher leader who will support young people in being changemakers!

My passion for education emerged while learning about the disconnects in my own education. In high school, I learned how lucky I was to have a positive self concept as a learner. As a white woman living in the suburbs of Minnesota, I saw myself reflected in school. My teachers looked like me and nothing about what I learned in school directly challenged my identities or worldviews. I had peers, however, whose histories were erased or mistold in our schools, whose identities were seen as problems rather than assets, and who struggled to see themselves as empowered learners within our education system. The dominant education systems today are based on outdated models for learning that were never designed for everyone to succeed.
This introduction to education did not foster a particularly optimistic outlook on classroom teaching...
But I knew that understanding those foundations was essential, and I deepened that learning in my undergraduate studies at Macalester College where I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.8. I was the only student in my class to graduate with a double major in Educational Studies and American Studies. I also completed a concentration in Urban Studies, and together these fields helped me examine issues of identity and inequity in education. I examined the histories that have shaped our current education system and developed critical approaches to teaching and learning. Through my majors, I developed skills in navigating complexity, questioning assumptions, and continuous learning and reflection that will prove invaluable for me as I grow as an educator.
In addition to my studies, I have learned just as much from my time with students and educators. I have held many roles in schools and educational settings in Minnesota; Massachusetts; Zibo, China; and California. I have taught students in grades 4-12 for over 300 hours. In these roles I have seen and felt the complex web of possibilities, limitations, imagination, and power of a classroom.
Even after all my time studying education and being in classrooms, I was not convinced that the classroom was where I could, or wanted to, work and make change. I owe my shift in perspective to the educators and young people I have learned and worked with at World Savvy . They have shown me it is possible to be a visionary educator who works towards broader change within a classroom.
I have seen how, as an educator, I can work to center social justice approaches and global competencies in the classroom. I have learned how to read between the lines of standards and see these spaces as critical gaps to fill. I understand my responsibility to ensure that my students have the opportunity to engage with perspectives, histories, and narratives that are often untold or mistold.
With these approaches and the social sciences as my foundation, I can work with young people to examine some of the world’s most intractable issues in an empowering way. This process is complex and sometimes contradictory, but I recognize and welcome this reality.
For few weeks after receiving my acceptances from Stanford and the University of Minnesota, I didn’t allow myself to get excited or feel too much pride. Both are wonderful programs, but they are underfunded. I was dreading making the decision to go further into student debt. I didn’t get nearly enough scholarship funding from either school and either program would more than triple my student debt.
I do not take this decision lightly, because it does not only impact me. I am making this decision as one of many other first generation college students who have shown up in elite academic spaces and are changing the cultures and systems there. I am making this decision for my future students whose education I will be trusted with and who will benefit from me having high quality preparation.
I have officially accepted my offer from Sanford and will begin classes in June. The Stanford Graduate School of Education is in the top 5 in the country. But, the cost of attendance is $102,586. During the program, I will have a school placement and be taking classes full time for a full calendar year (12-13 hour days not including homework), so I cannot work to offset the costs. I am fortunate to have received $22,000 in scholarships, but that leaves a gap of $80,586.
I will start school in June, so I am asking for financial support to help lighten the burden of student loans while I take the biggest next step of my life and take on the already weighty responsibility of teaching.
I am so thankful for my family, partner, friends, co-workers, and mentors who have supported, and continue to support, me throughout this entire process. I would have not gotten this far without you all.
Thank you to my donors! Please know that I receive all donations with great appreciation. I know it is difficult to decide where and how to use limited resources to help others. Thank you for choosing to support me as a future educator!
Thank you for helping create a new teacher leader who will support young people in being changemakers!
Organizer
Kelsey Larson
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN