Brett Palmer '19
Brett Palmer ’19 believes that loving what you do will help you succeed in any career.
At Illinois College, he was empowered to explore his passion for teaching with hands-on experience in the classroom and support from expert faculty.
Brett’s work in the classroom was recognized during the summer before his senior year when he was awarded the prestigious Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics Scholarship for 2018. Brett credited Dr. Todd Oberg, professor of mathematics and director of Teacher Preparation at IC, as being a mentor who gave him the confidence to apply for the competitive honor. During his time at IC, Brett was also recognized as a Golden Apple Scholar, served as president of IC Math Club and as professional development chair for Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society for education student. He was a member of Tomorrow’s Teachers and of the campus organization Project LEAD which promotes diversity in education. He was also an enthusiastic participant in the music program as a member of Wind and Percussion Ensembles. After graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors in May, Brett plans to apply the lessons he learned at IC to his own classroom as he begins a new position this fall as a high school math teacher in Decatur.
“Illinois College set me on the path that I wanted to be on — growing toward my goal of becoming a highly effective teacher of mathematics.”