Cakes, Culture and a Running Start on a Teaching Career

The York, Pa., native recalls playing school with friends over the years, realigning her career plans as time went on to coincide with her current grade. 

“In kindergarten, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I changed my preferred grade level every year until I hit fifth grade,” she said. “I’ve stuck with fifth grade ever since.”
 
Her fifth-grade teachers’ classroom management style and creative lesson-planning stuck with Hetanshi throughout childhood, and she even returned to their classrooms during her senior year of high school to catch up and express thanks. 
 
Inspired by the way they connected with students and made learning fun, she committed to Duquesne’s School of Education to major in middle-level education. 
 
Hetanshi has a good sense of what she wants to achieve and is pursuing concentrations in math and English. She’s also a psychology minor, Honors College student, School of Education Ambassador and pursuing a dual certification that will make her eligible to be certified in special education (K - 12) in addition to her content areas. 
 
Hetanshi notes that her ability to transfer AP credits from high school enabled her to explore these many areas of interest so she can make even more of an impact in her future career.

Building confidence through hands-on experience

As a sophomore, she’s already had a field placement at Pittsburgh Grandview, a public elementary school serving the neighborhoods of Allentown, Beltzhoover and Knoxville. 
 
“My host teacher let me be involved, and I’d interact with the kids and help with what they were doing,” said Hetanshi. “I also got to help with lessons.”
 
The impact of teachers is not something Hetanshi takes lightly; she knows her future profession shapes how students feel about particular subject matter throughout their lives. “I’ve noticed that certain feelings associated with a subject come from feelings associated with the teacher,” she explained.
 
Laying the foundation for children’s learning was the most rewarding part of her first field placement.

“Having an impact on the kids was incredible,” she said. “Without teachers and these kids, you don’t have any other profession. You teach them to become doctors, lawyers, chemists or whatever else they want to become.”

Hetanshi believes the reason she felt so comfortable in her field placement was because of the preparation she’s received from outstanding faculty who walk alongside her. 
 
“They’re very understanding and flexible,” she said. “They go out of their way to help you succeed.”

Celebrating culture, educating others

Hetanshi also appreciates the flexibility of the Honors College, which allowed her to earn a required credit through a project of her choosing. Inspired by her Indian culture, she decided to plan and execute a dinner to celebrate her heritage and expand her classmates’ horizons.
 
“I really appreciated having an option for what I wanted to do,” said Hetanshi. 

The on-campus cultural dinner included traditional foods, dance instruction and information about Indian holidays. The event was largely inspired by Hetanshi’s trip to India in summer 2024.
 
“Before COVID, we would go every three years,” said Hetanshi. “We’d last gone in 2019, so my grandma was very ready for me to come.”
 
After a five-year hiatus, Hetanshi reunited with her family from mid-May to early August in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. 
 
“We spent the time bonding, shopping and catching up,” she said. 
 

Hetanshi brushed up on her cooking skills through her grandmother’s mentorship and some formal cooking classes. She also took a class to hone her cake-decorating skills, something she began as a COVID-era hobby. In those classes, she adorned pastries, birthday cakes and cookies-and-cream confections with flair.
 
“It’s not as easy as it looks,” she laughed.
 
Hetanshi remains modest about her accomplishments in the kitchen and on campus. But through her energy, integrity and pride in her work, it’s easy to see she’ll make an impact anywhere—in the classroom and beyond.