I found my faculty mentor, Dr. Zuzana Swigonova, last year as she was my Honors Biology I and II professor during my two first semesters at Pitt. This Honors Biology series was unique due to the small class size as well as the collaborative nature of the course which allowed us students to connect with Dr. Swigonova on a higher level than we would be able to in any other intro level class. I was a UTA for Honors Biology I in the fall and continued to my current position as a UTA for Honors Biology II for this spring semester. I greatly enjoyed my first experience as a UTA during my Fall semester so consequently when I found out about CUTF I was deeply intrigued and applied. 

I would advise other students to connect to faculty in courses they have found not only an aptitude for, but also in a subject area they are passionate about. I would suggest that students wanting to be a UTA should either go to the professor’s office hours or send them an email and express an interest in doing so!

The experience from moving from a role of a student to a teaching assistant has felt quite natural in a way. After two semesters of Honors Biology, I felt that I had a profound understanding of the subject. I had the grasp and passion for the content that I now enjoy teaching and helping students. My project proposal was rooted in my struggles with learning the sheer amount of scientific terminology and therefore wanted to make a resource to help students who are having similar experiences. At the beginning of the project, when I was writing my first questions and making concept maps, I was basing the focus of the material off of topics that especially confused me last year. I was worried that my experience alone was not representative of what this year’s cohort may be having trouble with, so I started making notes of questions that were asked in lecture, office hours, and wrong answers on worksheets to really narrow down subject areas that needed extra reinforcement for the students. 

If a student is interested in becoming a UTA or just curious about teaching I would definitely recommend that they reach out to their current UTAs and ask about their experience. They should also ask the professor directly about what responsibilities are expected of a UTA in their course and reflect on whether or not those align with their teaching interests. I carried through with these steps last spring when I was debating on becoming a UTA for Honors Biology and doing so really allowed me to realize that being a UTA for this course fits in perfectly with my personal curiosities and goals!