My name is Tiffani Gilmore and I am a Trojan at heart. I earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Marshall School of Business at USC and joined Teach For America shortly after graduation. After teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District as a middle school math teacher, I transitioned to preschool education and became the Executive Director of a non-profit preschool program.
Three years ago, after an invitation by a Teach For America principal to join her in transforming the elementary school in a K- 12 charter school, I moved to Las Vegas to rejoin the public school sector. However, the move required me to earn an advanced degree in education. I could not imagine returning to school without first considering USC. When I learned about the MAT@USC program, I was excited to explore the opportunity of online learning and immediately enrolled in the January 2010 cohort. Never could I have imaged the degree of exposure I would have to experienced teachers, professionals, and professors across the country! During my intense studies, I developed meaningful relationships with teachers, new and experienced, in Hawaii, California, Atlanta, and Chicago. Additionally, the program’s inherent expectations for student engagement and self-reflection pushed me to be a better classroom teacher.
Ultimately, the MAT@USC program caused me to examine and question the quality of teacher preparation programs offered across the nation and specifically in Nevada. When research proves that an effective classroom teacher is a key lever in closing the achievement gap in urban schools, I question how institutions of higher learning can better prepare classroom teachers. The MAT@USC program inspired me to explore this question in detail so I enrolled in the Ed.D. program at the Rossier School of Education to study K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings.
For me, completing the MAT@USC program has been a life changer. I am now the founding principal of a charter elementary school in Las Vegas and completing my first semester in the Ed.D. program. As I travel between Nevada and California for work and school, I am often reminded of the convenience of the online experience. However, I am proud to report that the level of student learning and engagement is equivalent. I realize my biggest fans in supporting my new and challenging career goals are my colleagues I met in the MAT@USC program, and for that, I am forever grateful.
The MAT@USC enables aspiring teachers from across the country to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. Learn more about how MAT@USC can prepare you to teach in Nevada or nearly any other state you desire to teach in. Contact our Admissions office at 888.MAT.1USC or email us at matadmit@usc.edu for more information.
