“I am speaking literally when I say that I could not afford to work the job I now have if I were shouldered with student debt,” Nott said.
“Art teacher at a large high school has been my dream job since the sixth grade, and it's because of the Medallion that myself and others like me are able to pursue our dreams.”
Nott recalls the emotional moment when she learned she’d received the Medallion; yelling for her parents and bursting into tears. While she’s been intrigued by the new art facilities on campus, it was that moment when she decided to attend WMU over another school.
As a teacher, Nott feels a lot of pride when she learns her students have decided to attend WMU. “I had a wonderful experience, and I feel glad to be able to recommend it,” she said.
Recently, Nott got an even better surprise, when she learned that one of her current seniors has accepted the Medallion and will be attending WMU this fall.
“I was so happy for her! She is a hard worker and a deep thinker, and over the past three years I've come to respect her a great deal,” Nott said. Her student plans to major in engineering.
Sarah Nott teaches all levels of high school art, from introductory courses to jewelry making to advanced International Baccelaureate. “I love that my job is different every single day, and that every single day my kids make me smile. There aren't too many jobs where both of those things occur each day.”
Nott is pictured above (right) with her student, Aisha (left).
“Some of my favorite experiences at WMU involved the non-major credit requirements instated by the Honors College. The LHC requires that students take high-level classes outside their major, and the classes that I took to fulfill these requirements ended up being some of my favorites! History of Musical Theater in America, Russian Myths and Fairy Tales, an anthropology-based women's studies class... In addition, I loved working as a gallery guard at the art galleries in the Richmond Center for Visual Arts. I learned how to ship, handle, install, and professionally display high-level visual arts exhibitions, and got my forklift certification to boot.”