Elizabeth Martin Speaks on Education at Cazenovia College

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Elizabeth Martin delivers the annual Webster Address

CAZENOVIA, NY (09/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Elizabeth G. Martin, of Cortland, N.Y., is a Cazenovia College senior working toward a bachelor of science degree in inclusive elementary education. She was chosen to deliver the Sarah Webster Address at the Tenth Annual Wheler Family Conference on World Affairs, held Sept. 7, at Cazenovia College. This year's address, titled "On Education," reflected on the ways Martin's educational experiences have influenced her life.

One of Martin's passions is horses, and she has found a way to incorporate them into her plan to become an educator. "The amazing education that can be given to a child through a horse is indescribable," she says. "I have seen it and I have felt it. My horses give me the comfort and the relaxation I need when I am having a tough day. I want my students to have that same safe haven as well. To see the transformation in a child when the horse is doing the teaching is a special moment."

Martin is a recipient of Cazenovia College's Emerson Scholarships and Presidential Leadership Scholarships. She has made the Dean's List every semester since 2009. She is president of Equine Ambassadors Club and the Cazenovia College Chorale, a member of the Western Equestrian Team and the Miniature Horse Drill Team. Upon her graduation in May 2012, she will have earned certifications for teaching grades 1 through 6 in Childhood Education, and Teaching Students with Disabilities at the Childhood Level.

A graduate of Homer Central Schools, Martin has been a substitute teacher's aide at all levels at her alma mater, at Truxton Elementary School, Cazenovia Central Schools, and Syracuse City Schools, and is now qualified as a substitute head teacher. She says, "I have worked many different positions, including aide work with special needs students, and as secretary in a guidance office. I have also taken over high school and elementary school classes, primarily Spanish and art classes. I've been very successful in communicating with students and assisting them in the classroom."

Since 2003, Martin has worked at the Cortland Veterinary Hospital, where she has been responsible for many levels of animal care, training new kennel assistants, helping out in the office, and most recently, dog grooming. "This work has taught me how to solve problems, organize and communicate efficiently and effectively with co-workers," she says.

At Strawberry Fields Riding Stable, in Cortland, Martin has been a stable hand and camp volunteer, working with horses and campers, including children with disabilities. "I have learned to organize and communicate effectively with campers, riding students and their parents, while working under the instruction of the trainer and owner of the farm. I enjoy assisting the campers and seeing their joy while working with the horses."

She says, "The education I have received at Cazenovia College has helped guide me on my path to becoming an educator, and I feel as though I am well-prepared to start my career. After graduation, I hope to obtain a job in the Cazenovia area and to earn my masters degree."

The address, given at an invitation-only breakfast that opened the conference, honors the memory of Sarah Webster, an alumna of Corcoran High School in Syracuse, and St. Lawrence University, who died unexpectedly in 2004. The address is sponsored by her parents. The breakfast honors Cazenovia College's master students (juniors and seniors who assist professors in teaching the College's First Year Seminar classes). A master student is traditionally chosen as a speaker.

Cazenovia College, founded in 1824, is an independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college near Syracuse, N.Y., offering a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. Cazenovia, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, is also a national College of Distinction. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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