reservice members at the Crowne Plaza Princeton in Plainsboro, complete with speeches from student and NJEA leadership, as well as an award ceremony to honor the work done by members during this service year. Some attendees shared their highlights with the NJEA Review.
“The NJEA Preservice Conference was a fantastic opportunity for all preservice students and very informative. My favorite part of the conference was being able to meet and socialize with so many other preservice educators and hearing their stories. It is great to meet so many new, fantastic educators!” – Kayla Kanarkowski, Rider University
“My favorite part of attending the 2024 NJEA Preservice Conference was the professional development session, From Mandates to Movements: Building Inclusive Classrooms. This session was incredibly engaging as members read from textbooks and shared thoughts and personal experiences. The speakers had great chemistry. Their presentation was raw, intriguing and insightful. I appreciated their time and hope to attend more sessions with them in the future.” – Chelsea Berwick, The College of New Jersey
“My favorite part of the Preservice Conference was the wonderful professional development opportunities we had. The speakers were so inspirational and touched on such vital aspects of education. I felt really empowered, and I’m grateful I had this opportunity!” – Kylie Smith, Kean Ocean University
“My favorite part was all the material we learned from current NJEA members. It all was information that I hadn’t known but that is so important for a future educator to know. And I always enjoy being able to see all the local chapters and my fellow preservice members!” – Maddie Baca, Rutgers University
“My favorite part of the NJEA Conference was its focus on including diverse voices in the classroom. The speakers did a great job of showing that just because you are teaching children, that does not mean your students cannot understand nuanced issues and inequities.” – Isabella Lombardo, The College of New Jersey
The NJEA Preservice Conference is only one of many opportunities that NJEA offers for college and university students preparing to become teachers. Encourage these students to visit njea.org/preservice to learn more.