Gabriella Herrera
For Tennessee Tech University junior Gabriella Herrera, an art classroom is more than
a place to learn how to just paint or draw. It is where a student can find confidence,
discover a new outlet or simply feel like they belong.
Herrera experienced this firsthand as a former student of Roane County High School,
where art teacher Natasha Hudson helped her see the impact a teacher could have on
students beyond the typical classroom lessons.
“Her classroom was the most welcoming. All of the students kind of found their safe
space and their sense of belonging with her and in the art room,” Herrera said. “That
was a huge driver for me.”
Now an art education major, Herrera hopes to create that same environment for her
future students. After learning about Tech's art education program through a representative
who visited her high school, she scheduled a campus tour and departmental meeting.
The university's studios, faculty and opportunities to study both art and education
helped her see herself at Tech.
“Immediately I clicked with everyone who worked here, and I could see just from the
classes and the studios that this is a space that I could see myself,” Herrera said.
Herrera spends her time moving between studio courses in the College of Fine Arts
and education classes focused on classroom management, lesson planning and teaching
methods. She says the combination has helped her grow as an artist while preparing
her to guide students through their own creative experiences.
“I think the balance of being in the College of Fine Arts but also being in the College of Education, it's kind of like two birds, one stone,” Herrera said. “Finding the commonalities between both of them and getting to really be a student in two colleges has been the cool benefit.”
This semester, Herrera has begun putting those lessons into practice through classroom observations at Highland Rim Academy, Cookeville High School and Algood Middle School. Working with art educators across different grade levels has given her a firsthand look at classroom management, teaching styles and the ways students engage with art.
“It's a really cool way to figure out what my life is going to look like in the next few years and also kind of what art educator I want to be,” Herrera said.
After graduation, Herrera hopes to begin her career as a classroom art teacher and eventually explore museum curation or museum education. No matter where her career takes her, she wants to help students understand that art is about more than creating something to display.
“Art education is what gives kids the right to create. It's what fulfills them in so many ways,” Herrera said. “A lot of kids find a home in the art room.”