ESU Student Named Watts Scholar

Maisie Nelson • September 20, 2022

Michael Dixon, a Union College Educational Studies Student, has been named a 2022 David Watts Scholar. 


Carol Clouse, a professor for ESU, nominated Dixon for his dedication and determination on his pathway to becoming a master teacher.


“We frequently talk about his long-range goal of becoming a special education teacher in his home state of New York,”  she says. “He has shared with me many of his experiences from his volunteer work in a special education setting every summer; his compassion for these students is inspiring and evident as he talks about his experiences there.”


Dixon of West Islip, New York, is a junior at Union and a men’s bowling team member. After he graduates, Dixon intends to pursue a master’s and doctoral degree in special education with a concentration in autism. He hopes this will lead to opportunities to conduct research that will better the lives of people with special needs.


“Getting to work with the education professors, especially Dr. Henderson and Mrs. Clouse, has been great as I feel they have taken my natural talents and elevated them to the point where I feel like I can do something special in my career as an educator,” says Dixon. 


David Watts Scholars are chosen annually by the state hosting the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE) Conference; this year, the Kentucky Association of Teacher Educators (KATE) is hosting. Students are chosen based on their potential to follow the legacy of David Watts, a teacher, and educator who devoted his life to education through hard work, mutual respect among other professionals, and courage to fight for what is right. His life and what he stood for remain an important aspect of SRATE and its goals for the future of education.


Scholars are recognized as outstanding future educators, but they also receive the opportunity to be among and work with esteemed members of the education profession at the SRATE Conference. Watts Scholars receive the award as well as $200.


The 2022 SRATE conference is scheduled for Sept. 29-30th. 
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