Valerie Clower, Class of 2018, is a proponent of internships.“Getting out into the real world and experiencing the daily routines of the career you might want to pursue is a great way to decide if it is really right for you.” Clower speaks from experience. She thought she wanted a career as an orthodontist, but after an internship her sophomore year she decided it wasn’t right for her. Her next internship was shadowing an elementary school teacher and that’s when Clower discovered her calling. Now she plans to teach biology at the high school or college level.
Clower worked with Wesleyan’s Center for Career Development and Associate Professor of Education Virginia Bowman Wilcox '90 to find her current internship shadowing a biology teacher at Northside High School in Warner Robins. Her responsibilities include classroom management, lesson planning, grading assignments, and analyzing what her career might involve.
“On my first day in the classroom, I sensed the students weren’t convinced of my knowledge of biology or of my training, maybe because I’m not too much older than them. The teacher asked me to give an impromptu lesson on mitosis. Apparently they were impressed. Now they call me Miss Clower.”
After graduation, Clower plans to continue her studies and earn a master’s degree in secondary education and eventually a Ph.D. in biology. Having played softball since she was eight years old, including four years with the Wesleyan Wolves, she also plans to earn a coaching certificate.
“My career choice changed in the fall of my junior year. I have been interested in biology since middle school and I’ve always enjoyed helping people. Teaching is a way of doing two things I love on a daily basis.”