Inspired to Teach: The Power of Inclusion

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, we are delighted to share a reflection from one of DSACO’s 2026 Post-Secondary Scholarship winners, Emily Mifsud. 

After high school I will be attending The Ohio State University to study Integrated Social Studies Education with plans to teach high school history. There have been many people in my life who have inspired me to want to teach. My mom, my aunts, my grandma, my uncle - all these people in my family are or have been teachers. They helped me to discover from a young age that teaching is something that interests and excites me. I saw how hard they all worked and how much they enjoyed their job. I have also had some teachers in high school who have inspired me to teach, and taught me so much about how to be a good teacher. My teachers have shown me respect and kindness so that I learned how to reciprocate it. They taught me how to care about the wellbeing of students inside and outside of the classroom. Through their example, I have learned what techniques make learning easier for most people, and how to help students best succeed in their academic career. All these people have given me the passion to teach, and showed me the type of teacher I want to be. I have learned first hand the impact that teachers can have on students, because of the impact they have had on me. As a student, these adults have made me feel cared for, supported, and capable. It is a privilege to think that one day I will be able to treat my students in the same way that these people have treated me.

I have also learned about the kind of teacher I want to be because of my younger sister, Grace, who has Down syndrome. Grace has changed my life and I have seen directly how inclusion, especially in school, can make such a positive difference in one’s life. As a teacher, I want to make sure that everyone feels capable of learning no matter what, even if they are different from most. I hope to make personal connections with my students that allow them to feel cared for and valued.

All these people - my family, my teachers, my sister - have inspired me to teach others and helped grow my passion for teaching. I don’t know if I would have found my love for teaching without them as my role models and I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to learn how to be the best teacher I can

To learn more about DSACO’s Post-Secondary Scholarship opportunity, and to view a list of this year’s winners, please visit www.dsaco.net/postsecondaryscholarship/.