Written By | Ruth Hartje

From the Field to the Classroom

For Carrie Lively, ’02 and ’06, returning to Ball State University two decades after earning her first degree wasn’t simply a chance to reconnect with her alma mater. It was an opportunity to help shape the future of teacher education.

In 2022, Carrie reconnected with Ball State’s Teachers College and helped co-found the Teacher Apprenticeship Program, an initiative that gives aspiring educators hands-on experience before they even graduate from high school.

In many ways, the opportunity brought Carrie’s Ball State experience full circle.

Growing up, Carrie thought she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. But after completing a job shadow, she realized it wasn’t the right path for her.

“The stars kind of aligned for me with Ball State because I pivoted around the idea of going into education,” she said.

Ball State’s longstanding reputation in teacher preparation and its emphasis on getting future educators into classrooms early stood out.

“Ball State and its tenure in the educational realm and its cutting-edge education program that got students into the classroom as early as their freshman year were really the selling features,” Carrie said.

She also had the opportunity to compete as a student-athlete with Ball State’s softball program.

“Being a Cardinal not only in the classroom, but on the competition field, was an enticing opportunity, and that really solidified my choice of Muncie, Indiana, as my home for the next several years.”

Balancing academics and athletics introduced Carrie to communities and relationships that would remain important long after graduation.

“Those relationships have an amazing way of routing you through life, and I still have connections with my former peers and teachers,” she said. “What makes us human are those personal relationships that we have with each other, so I really lean into that.”

Years later, those connections helped bring Carrie back to Ball State; this time as a partner in preparing the next generation of educators.

“I was able to reconnect with the Teachers College at Ball State and was a cofounder of the Teacher Apprenticeship Program,” she said.

The Teacher Apprenticeship Program

Cofounded by Carrie and Susan Tancock, 84, Associate Dean in Teachers College, the Teacher Apprenticeship Program allows students to begin education-focused coursework and gain hands-on experience in the field starting in their junior year of high school. Through the program, students can explore their interest in teaching early while working toward the opportunity to graduate from Ball State up to a year early with a degree in elementary education and a concentration in special education.

Carrie sees the program as an extension of the same hands-on approach that originally attracted her to Ball State.

“Ball State’s leading, not only the state but a lot of the nation, in apprenticeship models for teachers,” she said.

For Carrie, helping develop that next chapter in teacher preparation has been especially meaningful.

“I was really excited to be able to come back and work with the Teachers College and be a contributing founder of what’s taking Ball State Teachers College into that next realm,” she said.

She described the experience as humbling, particularly the opportunity to return to the University that helped prepare her for her own career.

“Ball State recognized the caliber of individual that they’re putting out into the world and then sought that back,” Carrie said. “It’s probably my proudest professional moment, collaborating with my alma mater.”

Today, Carrie serves as vice president of 3DE Pathways at Junior Achievement USA, where she helps implement curriculum designed to promote financial literacy and economic mobility for students. Her work continues a theme that has followed her from her earliest days at Ball State: creating meaningful, hands-on opportunities for young people to discover what’s possible.

Her relationship with Ball State has evolved from student to alumna to collaborator, but the connection has remained.

“It all ties us back together,” Carrie said. “The Cardinal family is one that continues to grow, but you can always go back to it.”

If you are eager to support the next generation of teachers, academics, and educators, make a gift today to the Ball State University Teachers College!