Yesenie Cano to serve on the NEA Aspiring Educator Advisory Committee

A Panhandle State Junior, Yesenie Cano, has been selected to serve on the National Education Association for the Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association.

The Advisory Committee of Student Members is responsible for actively promoting Aspiring Educator membership on college campuses and recommending strategies to increase Aspiring Educator membership and engagement while creating a seamless path from Aspiring Educator membership to active membership. The Committee is also responsible for assisting in the planning and delivery of the National Education Association Aspiring Educator Conference.

With over thirty applications submitted to the NEA Aspiring Educators Program, only nine students were appointed positions on the Advisory Committee on Aspiring Educators.

Cameo Kendrick, the Aspiring Educators Chair for the National Education Association, stated, “Yesenie Cano’s glowing essay, recommendation letter, and vision to serve the members of NEA Aspiring Educators have stood out. Her dedication in this process proves she is a valued leader in the NEA Aspiring Educators Program and will serve the members dutifully.”

Provost, Dr. Julie Dinger, commented, “Yesenie’s passion for STEM education is an inspiration to current and future education majors. We are so proud of her and her hard work, I’m looking forward to great things as she leads in the NEA Aspiring Educations Program.”

Cheng-Hsien Wu, advisor for the OAEA group at OPSU, commented, “Yesenie is an advocate of the education issues and is not shy to speak up for the educational inequity. She actively participates in OAEA events and conferences and is elected as the state officer for OAEA’s Legislative Representative. She earns her seat to serve as the NEA Aspiring Educator Advisory Committee, and I look forward to seeing her growth in the teaching arena!”

Director of Hispanic Student Services, Teri Mora, said, “I have had the privilege of working with Yesenie for several years, first as an Upward Bound student and then as a college student here at Panhandle. She is an outstanding natural leader. Last fall she was awarded a Leader in Training scholarship to attend the HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) conference, and through her attendance at the USHLI (United States Hispanic Leadership Institute) last spring she became instrumental in HALO’s efforts to increase the census participation in our county. She is community-minded and will do amazing things as a member of the NEA Aspiring Educator Advisory Committee. We are all so proud of her achievements!”