It's no surprise then that such a decorated scholar would become the first Rider student to be honored as a recipient of the Commissioner's Distinguished Teacher Candidate Award given by the New Jersey Department of Education. I had put it in the back of my mind. I'm sure it'll go a long way in getting me a good job. The award recognizes the top graduates of teacher preparation programs administered by New Jersey colleges and universities. Vater, whose family hails from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, is now searching the central New Jersey region for just that job.
More opportunities are sure to follow.
Usually, most college graduates only have one student-teaching experience. Rider has given me a lot of student-teaching experiences in the field, which has definitely helped prepare me. Ninety-three percent of the faculty hold doctoral or other appropriate advanced degrees. U.S. News and World Report has again ranked Rider in the top tier of northern universities based on the quality of its programs.