Melissa Rowe of Hampton, AR, was named the Magnolia High School Teacher of the Year for 2024. A three-time Southern Arkansas University graduate, Rowe credits the College of Science and Engineering for preparing her for the classroom.
“Dr. Schroeder and Dr. White got me to where I am,” Rowe said. “And they are still supportive now. If I see them at an event, they’re always genuinely happy to see that I’m still teaching.”
Rowe was a Mulerider with aspirations of pharmacy school; however, after a health scare landed Rowe in the heart hospital in March 2017, she decided to change career paths. It was Dr. Schroeder who asked Rowe if she’d ever considered teaching as a profession when he noticed her tutoring chemistry students in the library.
After graduating with her AS in 2015 and BS in chemistry in 2017 from SAU, Rowe began teaching at Camden Fairview. She accepted a position at Magnolia High School in 2019 after obtaining an MAT in teacher education from SAU in 2018.
“I love it,” Rowe said of teaching. “There’s a new challenge every day.”
Seven years later, Rowe teaches accelerated biology and Advanced Placement biology. Her MAT equipped her with skills and strategies to meet students where they were and help them excel. A dedicated peer mentor, Rowe recently completed the NIET Lead Teacher program to further her mentoring and coaching skills.
“It’s a huge honor that I’ve made enough of an impact that other people took notice,” Rowe said. “I genuinely love my kids and love teaching, and knowing that love has traveled across campus means a lot to me.”
When Rowe isn’t teaching, she supports the students outside the classroom, attending spring sports, band and choir concerts, and theater productions. Or you can find her at home with her husband Jimmy, enjoying books and video games or spending time with their cats.
