Nora Bonomo’s journey at the IU School of Education began before she even arrived at IU.

Last May, she participated in the Future Teacher Signing event at her high school, West Vigo High School in Terre Haute, where she and her family celebrated her plans to become a teacher.

Now fully immersed in her first semester at IU, Bonomo, who is originally from Clinton, Indiana, said her love for working with kids and her own experiences with teachers in elementary school made her want to study education.

“My experience at IU and the School of Education has been the most welcoming and supportive experience of my life. I am able to get help by reaching out, and the community has been so kind,” she said. “My transition from living at home to living on campus had been hard at first, but the people around me have shown me so much love and support in my academic success and future career.”

Her future plans at IU include graduating with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in dance. Bonomo is already involved in the IU Dance Marathon, and hopes to join more clubs soon, as she loves the community that IUDM brings to her life.

And after that? Bonomo sees teaching a third or fourth grade classroom, but says she’d be happy with any of the other elementary grades as well.