MacArthur senior saves thousands on college in NEISD magnet program
Claudia Banda heads to college this fall saving more than $10,000.
“I save at least a year’s worth of tuition,” she explained.
Banda is a senior in North East ISD’s MacUP Magnet Program.
MacUP is an innovative partnership with UTSA that trains the next generation of educators.
“The great thing about being in the MacUP program is that you’re an actual student at UTSA with all the perks. You can have an ID card and you just get the best of both worlds. Because I’m continuing in education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, I have at least 24 college credit hours that I’m going into right off the bat,” Banda said.
This university-track program is for students majoring in education and allows students like Banda to earn their degree early.
“I already start out a year or two ahead of everyone else. I get to finish my degree faster with more specialized time and classroom training,” she added.
Her goal is to become a high school teacher one day.
Banda grew up entirely in NEISD and attended Thousand Oaks Elementary and Bradley Middle School.
At MacArthur, she was also involved in the orchestra, the campus mariachi group, the Model U.N. club, Student2Student, MacTeach and played soccer.
Through it hasn’t always been easy, Banda said she has come out on top through hard work, time management and a positive support system.
She credits teachers like MacUP sponsors Mr. Davidson and Mrs. Goodman for encouraging her to keep going.
“They gave me insight on like how college really even though we are still in high school. They really fermented my writing and networking skills. They were really important,” Banda explained.
Her professors at UTSA also were influential and connected to students on a personal level.
“A lot of teachers have had to transition into online super quick but the quality of education hasn’t really changed. Teachers are so passionate about their students which is a great thing,” Banda said.
Now, in just a few short years, this future educator will soon inspire and challenge her own set of students.
“Teachers, coaches, librarians, anything like that- if you’re passionate about education, if you are passionate about helping the future generations once they grow up, I feel like the MacUP Magnet program is a really good stepping stone for that!”
Congratulations, Claudia and the rest of MacArthur’s 2021 graduates! #NEISD2021
Learn more about North East ISD’s MacUP Magnet Program here https://www.neisd.net/macup
DISCOVER #theNEISDway!
