Wilmington native and elementary education major Lauren Brooks wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and brother and graduate from UNCW, and she has.
Brooks was among the more than 2,500 students who obtained their degrees during the Fall Commencement. Brooks' love for the university and its proximity to home made UNCW the obvious choice when she contemplated where to pursue a degree. The Education Building felt like her home away from home the day she walked in.
“Every single employee greeted me with a hello or a smile,” said Brooks, who plans to begin teaching in fall 2024. “Watson College of Education is an outstanding school. UNCW has provided the best professors...the support and dedication they provide for their students is phenomenal.”
The admiration from her professors is mutual.
WCE senior lecturer Maggie Guggenheimer said Brooks “exemplifies all the strong characteristics of a Watson graduate.” Courtney Townsend, a coach in Watson’s Ed Lab said, “Lauren is amazing.”
Losing her mom at 17 and learning to navigate after that loss was understandably hard for Brooks. In addition, her dad experienced health problems during her time at UNCW.
“I am so blessed and thankful to have been able to be here for him as well as for him to be here for me. I don’t know what I would ever do without my best friend. Love you, Dad!” she said.
As she graduates at 27 years old with a 3.98 GPA (an accomplishment she admits to being “pretty proud of”), she is grateful for her “irreplaceable, challenging and rewarding” time at UNCW and “the friends I have made who have turned into family.”
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