Elementary education student receives Killam Undergraduate Fellowship

Congratulations to fourth-year elementary education student Esther Oladapo on receiving a 2026 Killam Undergraduate Fellowship! Esther took time out from her fall field placement to answer a few questions about her inspirations and motivations for pursuing a bachelor of education degree at the U of A.

What made you decide to pursue a BEd at the U of A? 

I love igniting curiosity in students and introducing new concepts to students. I enjoy being in a classroom because I personally love learning, and spreading that joy to others provides me with a lot of fulfillment and allows me to rediscover old concepts in a new way.

An aspect I love about teaching and specifically being a teacher is that the profession is reciprocal. I am constantly learning from my students about different cultures and I get to teach students about curricular concepts and introduce new ideas to them. 

Teaching is both a profession and passion where I can spread joy through knowledge and connect with students' interests to help them succeed, so choosing a bachelor of education felt like a perfect degree. My choice of the University of Alberta was easy when I considered my community here and the amazing education program the University of Alberta offered.

What has been your favourite part of being a preservice teacher so far? 

My practicums and volunteer work. I love working with children and I've been blessed to have such amazing practicum experiences. My favorite experiences have been being hands-on in the classroom and my favorite practicum was in a kindergarten classroom where I got to introduce students to learning and build up their numeracy and literacy skills. 

What do you hope to do with your teaching degree?

I plan on being an elementary teacher who inspires students to achieve their goals. I really love travelling and discovering new things so I would love to teach around the world and learn about different cultures. I also want to become a speech language pathologist so I hope my undergraduate degree can help me achieve my master’s and my aspirations of teaching students how to best access their voices or other forms of speech.

Tell us about the Killam Undergraduate Fellowship.

The Killam Undergraduate Fellowship enables me to study at an American university without paying high international student fees as a Canadian. The grant is $6,000 USD to be used toward my accommodation, housing and other expenses. It is an exchange program where I get to go to the University of Washington for the winter semester. I get to experience a world-class American university and take amazing classes.I love hiking so I am eager to explore the landscape of the Pacific NorthWest and go on some good climbs!

I would like to thank Dr. Lorne Zelyck and Dr. Merle Hummrich who both provided amazing references that enabled me to receive this award. I would also like to thank the University of Alberta International Education and Enrolment Office, specifically Michal Guzowski, for all the great advice and guidance during my application process. And finally I would like to thank the Killam Foundation for this life-changing experience!