Stories of Impact - Emily Draper, BSEd ’12

Several School of Education scholarships helped fund Emily Draper’s Baylor education.

“Earning a scholarship was a trifecta of feelings. Honor to have been deemed worthy, pride in what I had accomplished, and the relief in knowing financially it would be a bit easier to make ends meet.”

A 2012 graduate in Elementary Education, Draper said she wouldn’t change a thing about her undergraduate experience.

“I love everything about Baylor — the sense of family, traditions and the belief in serving the Lord through your career,” she said. “Specifically concerning the School of Education, I love the structure of the program, the expectation for candidates to be working in schools beginning freshman year. But above all else, I love the professors. To this day I am still able to call, email or pop into office hours to discuss a concept or student behavior and have the support and attention they gave me as a student.”

Today, Draper is a kindergarten teacher in Mexia, Texas, where her husband works as a coach.

“As a kindergarten teacher, I cherish specific milestones above the others,” she said. “First is watching my students completely fall in love with reading. As the world of books opens up to them and they are able to fully engage in reading, their entire face lights up. Secondly, watching the emotional growth my students undergo throughout the year is huge. They become independent problem-solvers capable of regulating their own emotions and working cooperatively.

“I love watching little ones grow, change and develop. I have never imagined myself doing anything else.”