The College of Education's Network for Enhancing Teacher Quality (NET-Q) project, funded by a $13.5 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is a collection of programs, partnerships, initiatives and incentives designed to prepare teachers for the demands of teaching high-need subjects in high-need schools.

And it's DaShaunda Patterson's job as project director to manage the daily operations that come with such a grant. In addition, Patterson is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education (EPSE) and works directly with COE students involved in the grant.

Patterson recently sat down to discuss her decision to work in higher education, her work with the NET-Q grant and why she loves working in the COE.

Q: How did you first become interested in working in higher education?

A: Initially, my plan was to become a teacher and ascend in the ranks at the school system level. I never really considered higher education as an option. I became a teacher but I left that position after a few years to become a full-time doctoral student. And part of the vision of the faculty leading that doctoral program was to prepare us to become educators in higher education. 

To read more about Patterson and her work in the COE, click here.