'Small-Town' Student Gives Special Thanks to the Schoolteacher Who Drove Her to UC

University of Cincinnati senior Allison Sherick is paying tribute to the teacher who literally drove her on the pathway of her longtime dream of becoming a teacher. Marcia Taynor, a 24-year veteran of teaching, is one of four educators from around the Tristate who will be honored with the Cincinnati USA Outstanding Educator Award.

The awards will be presented at UC’s Commencement Ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

The Vandalia resident will be presented with a $1,000 UC scholarship to be awarded to a high school senior of her choosing who plans to attend UC in the 2012-2013 academic year.

Taynor was selected from 23 nominations by soon-to-graduate UC students who wanted to honor a K-12 educator who inspired them on their pathway to a college degree. A UC committee that included representatives from the Office of the President, UC faculty, staff and students reviewed the nominations.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” says Taynor, who is an instructor for the teacher exploration program at the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center. “UC has been wonderful to work with. The university’s support of our teaching mentors and students is outstanding.”

Sherick, who’s from Springfield, Ohio, will be graduating from UC next June with a bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education with a focus on math and science – an area in which talented teachers are in high demand. She is also a student worker in the Office of the Dean of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH).

Sherick credits Taynor with nurturing her longtime dream of becoming a teacher. At first, she says coming from a small town – as well as being the youngest in her family and the only daughter – made attending a large college in a big city seem daunting – so much so, in fact, that Sherrick says she cancelled her admission to UC.

“Well, Ms. Taynor said that wasn’t going to fly, so she drove me 90 miles to Cincinnati to meet with people in CECH and talk with CECH Associate Dean Regina Sapona,” Sherick says. “The people here went out of their way to make UC feel like home, and I ended up falling in love with the education program,” says Sherick.

Taynor was familiar with UC’s education program because of her work as an instructor for Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center’s teacher education program.

“Ms. Taynor supported me and helped me through leaving home for the first time, and she continued to take interest in my progress, my struggles and my achievements,” says Sherick. “She is still my biggest supporter and my best mentor.”

This December marks the seventh year that UC has presented the Cincinnati USA Outstanding Educator Awards to recognize the lifelong inspiration of K-12 educators.

Read More about the Cincinnati USA Outstanding Educator Awards

UC Commencement website