When they say, "Owls are everywhere," they don't usually mean one Owl is in many places... but that's the story for secondary education major Aayushi Doshi. She is only a second-year student and has lived and worked in education in Rome, Italy, and North Philadelphia.
Doshi knew she wanted to pursue a teaching career since she was in middle school. She had many teachers who inspired her, and she wanted to be just like them. Doshi points to her 10th- grade history teacher and fellow Temple Owl, Mr. Adam Wirjosemito (CLA '09). He made the class enjoyable and interactive, which are traits that Doshi said she hopes to bring into her own teaching career.
One reason Doshi chose the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is the structure of the education program. As a secondary education major with a minor in political science, Doshi said she knew Temple University was the right fit because she could study what interests her and be the perfect distance from her home in Morris County, New Jersey.
Another reason she came to Temple was that she could study abroad during her first semester. Doshi's Temple journey began with the Temple Rome Entry Year (TREY) program, a unique new student experience offered at Temple University's Rome Campus.
Deciding to attend Temple University Rome for her first year was an exciting experience for Doshi, who has some experience abroad.
"I have been traveling a lot since I was a kid. I have family in India, so [Rome] was just another place I got to travel to, which was nice. But I think it helped me really delve deep into a different culture, a different language. It was an experience I think I would not have gotten anywhere else."
While in Rome, she attended classes and participated in an internship helping Italian students strengthen their English skills through the topic of contemporary art. She also got to enjoy the culture, recalling that one of her favorite experiences was taking a cooking class with her friends where she got to make her own pasta dinner.
Fast forward one year, and Doshi is settling into life here in North Philadelphia. Still, food is the way to her heart, and as a self-proclaimed foodie, she says she loves the local city cuisine.
"I have a giant list from so many people of places I need to go to," she said. "I really like all the different restaurants in Center City. I was a huge fan of Restaurant Week - I went out a couple times to different restaurants."
Doshi also enjoys engaging with the campus community in Philadelphia. Her favorite class was the Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education.
"I really liked how we got to explore the history of education, how policies have changed and how they have stayed the same. It was very interesting," she said.
Doshi works as a peer advisor in the college. She said she wants prospective CEHD students to know that she understands college can sometimes feel overwhelming but that the students and staff here are kind and always willing to help. She added that staff have been very welcoming to her in her first year on Main Campus, and they helped her develop as a peer advisor.
Along with being a student and peer advisor, she is involved with student life and campus organizations such as the Students Helping Students club and Kaafila, an Indian Association.
While she is just shy of the halfway point of her undergraduate journey, Doshi is looking forward to her career. She has completed an internship at Girls Inc., a non-profit organization providing programming across the United States and Canada to empower girls to become leaders. And she knows she wants to be a classroom teacher. No matter where in the world she lands, Doshi says her goal is to exhibit inclusivity in her classroom.
"I firmly believe that anyone can learn, but that different students learn in different ways. I want to be very inclusive in my classroom and adapt my lessons for the various ways my students learn."