Growing up, Poonita Sheevam wasn’t always a fan of school. Sometimes her parents had to make her stop coloring and playing and get into the classroom. Now she has a versatile degree that has given her a solid foundation in education, while letting her explore her passions.

Sheevam is graduating with a Bachelor of Educational Studies (BES) degree, which has helped her take a broader look at the entire field of education. She’s been able to learn about social studies education at the high school level and get classroom experience, but she’s also pursued her interests in educational systems, virtual learning and more.

“Especially with the pandemic and the transition to virtual learning, there’s going to be a lot to figure out,” said Sheevam. “There needs to be new models and new methods in the field of education, so I figured why not go a route that’s more personalized?”

In her time at Mizzou, Sheevam has been very active as a student ambassador, student council, a student staff member in The Bridge, a diversity peer educator in the Multicultural Center and a senior advisor in the South Asians Students Association. She says The Bridge really fed her interest in non-traditional classroom settings through planning events, organizing programming and giving people a platform to learn new ideas.

Sheevam plans to take a year off of school to work, explore graduate school opportunities and possibly pursue a doctorate degree. She knows her degree has her prepared to substitute teach or tutor. “It’s a big question mark, but I’m going to take a year off to work and figure out what’s there.”