The Ball State University Foundation recently announced the winners of the Top 100 Student Awards. This award recognizes 100 outstanding junior and senior undergraduates at Ball State who represent Beneficence both in and out of the classroom. We are thrilled to highlight the winners who represent Teachers College, starting with senior Taiyé Black.

Journey to Ball State

Originally from Indianapolis, Taiyé is studying Elementary Education with a concentration in Technology. She had great teachers growing up, two specifically who motivated her to go to college for education. Taiyé wants to give back and inspire students in the same way she was inspired.

She is involved with several campus organizations, including the Teachers College Dean’s Student Advisory Council, Future Educators, Peer Mentors, and Cardinal Teacher Corps.

Immersive Learning

Her favorite experience at Ball State has been participating in Schools Within the Context of Community, a community-engaged teacher preparation program where pre-service teachers are immersed in a historically Black neighborhood and participate in mobilization efforts alongside community mentors. This semester-long experience focuses on creating culturally responsive, equity-focused, socially-just future teachers, and it had a great impact on Taiyé.

Future Plans

After graduating this spring, Taiyé plans on going to graduate school for Dance Education. She wants to expand her knowledge of teaching into dance with the goal of starting a low-cost fine arts community center one day. She wants to be able to teach classes at a low cost for anyone in the community. She believes that the arts should be more affordable and accessible to all.

In addition to dancing, Taiyé enjoys reading and kayaking. She is also obsessed with Disney and Disney World, and she has been to Disney World at least six times now.

Congratulations Taiyé!