Graduate Student Alumni Spotlight

Reading MED

Student Name:  Sidonie Chhetri

Program: Reading

Hometown: Austin, TX

Undergraduate Institution: UT Dallas

Graduation Year: 2010

Why did you choose to attend UT Tyler?

I wanted a quality program that was affordable and online. UT Tyler met all of those criteria. An online program made sense to me; I have known teachers who attended in-person programs closer to home while working full time, and I feel like they weren’t able to devote as much to their studies because they could not view lectures at times that were ideal for them and, as anyone can tell you, teaching can be exhausting! Additionally, UT Tyler’s program is highly affordable and the professors are extremely qualified!

What are your career goals and how does your graduate program support them?

Although I already work as a reading interventionist at a charter school, I would not be qualified for this job if I moved anywhere else without my Master’s degree. With this degree, I will be able to do my job at any school. I also did not get a BA in education, so I felt like I would greatly benefit from formal education regarding how to teach reading. My program has been excellent for this reason. I am learning so much about teaching and, since I work at the same time, I get to try out strategies I learn in class with students right away.

What do you like most about UT Tyler?

I like the support that I receive from my professors. Dr. Mokhtari and Dr. Consalvo (who teach a majority of the courses) are outstanding educators who are able and willing to help students with anything they need. Honestly, I feel like my professors are more accessible to me here than they were in college, even though the program is online!

Find out more about our Masters in Reading