05/08/2026
The heart of Lighting the Way was hearing directly from students whose journeys are shaping the future of education in Kansas City.
Students from the UMKC Institute for Urban Education spoke candidly about balancing coursework, student teaching and personal responsibilities while preparing for careers in classrooms that urgently need dedicated educators. They talked about mentors who encouraged them to keep going, faculty who knew them by name and the confidence they gained through real classroom experience long before graduation.
“I entered UMKC as a freshman in 2006 and was accepted into IUE. And I can say without hesitation, it changed my life. It didn’t just prepare me to teach. It shaped me as a man. It challenged me to think beyond myself. It gave me purpose. I remember being part of a cohort, walking into schools weekly, learning in real classrooms, not just from textbooks but from lived experiences. By the time we graduated, we had spent over 1,400 hours in schools. That’s not just preparation, that’s immersion. That’s transformation." - IUE Alum Harrison Neal Sr. (B.A. ’11, M.A. ’14).
Learn more about Lighting the Way: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/march/institute-for-urban-education-lights-the-way-for-next-generation-of-educators.html
