When Kristen Dobias, a 20-year-old EMU junior, was still attending Plymouth Salem High School a few years ago, fellow students often stopped her in the hallway, or perhaps in town, to rave about her mother.

“They’d say, ‘I love your mom. I never would have made it if it weren’t for her,’” Kristen says.

Her mother, Cathy, just happens to be a special education teacher at the same high school. That might have embarrassed some students. But “seeing the kind of reverence she gets from her students inspired me to be a teacher,” Kristen said. “I want to have that kind of impact on kids one day.”

Kristen, who is majoring in English language and literature, is halfway to that goal of teaching high school English. The alumni scholarship, she says, will help offset the student loans she must pay off after she graduates. “I was really excited. This will help me jump-start my future a little because I know as a teacher, I won’t be making that much.”

Attending EMU was never in doubt, Kristen said. There are several solid reasons EMU is the perfect choice – and all are common to many EMU students. First, both of her parents attended. Cathy earned her bachelor of arts degree in special education in 1983 and a master’s degree in special education in 1988. David Dobias, an engineer for General Motors Corp., earned his bachelor of science in business management in 1981.

Another reason to attend EMU, obviously, is Kristen’s interest in teaching. Finally, the school’s location close to her home in Canton has allowed Kristen to save money by commuting.

Kristen plans to fulfill her pre-student teaching at high schools in either Northville or Belleville. Though she is tempted to student-teach in Plymouth, having a mother on the faculty, and Kristen’s own role as executive editor of her high school yearbook, meant she knew most students and teachers. Some new faces and environments will help round out her teaching experiences.

She also enriched her education by taking advantage of the Department of English Language and Literature’s “Oxford and Beyond,“ a study-abroad program this past July. “It’s focused on children’s British fantasy literature,” Kristen said, “such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Alice in Wonderland.

“English was always my best subject,” Kristen adds. “I love Shakespeare and I love poetry. My closet is overflowing with books. I want to teach junior and senior year” students, “possibly AP classes, so I can get more in depth with these books."

Since her minor is communication and theater arts, she also wants to pursue one of her other passions once she secures a teaching position. Kristen grew up studying dance – tap, ballet, jazz – and also sang in school choirs, so she loves to sing as well. She hopes she can apply that experience by helping out in high school drama programs and productions.