Future Ready Teachers Stories

Answering the Call: CEHD Students Are Shaping a New Future for the Teaching Profession

January 26, 2026

By Kristine Hojnicki

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Across the country—and especially in Northern Virginia—classrooms are feeling the strain of a national teacher shortage. More than 86% of U.S. public schools report difficulty filling open roles, and in Virginia alone, nearly 3,700 teaching positions went unfilled in a single year. In the region where George Mason University graduates serve, shortages are most acute in elementary education, middle grades, and special education environments, leaving many students without the stable, skilled teachers they deserve.

George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) — alma mater to one-third of the region’s teachers and more than half of the administrators in Northern Virginia school districts — is stepping forward with the Future Ready Teachers initiative, a bold effort to remove barriers, elevate the profession, and strengthen the next generation of educators.

For students like Trina Auda, an undergraduate Elementary Education major who transferred from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the call to teach is both personal and purposeful. Her resilience, passion, and commitment to public service reflect the motivation that is urgently needed to rebuild the educator pipeline.

A Transfer Student’s Journey into Elementary Education

A first-semester Elementary Education (ELED) major and ELED Ambassador, Auda said the transition from NOVA to George Mason felt natural and transformative.

“I’ve always known this was the route,” she said. “So many of my own teachers went here and at NOVA, everyone talked about transferring to George Mason. Hearing their stories inspired me. I knew I would find opportunities and community here.”

As part of the ADVANCE pathway, Auda received coordinated advising and academic support from both institutions. “Having an advisor at both schools helped so much. They knew my progress, mitigated any issues, and made sure I was taking the right courses,” she shared. “I was surprised to experience how helpful George Mason's CEHD professors genuinely were within the ELED program. They are dedicated to helping me succeed as a student and in my future career."

Her “aha” moment came just weeks into her first semester on campus.

“In our cohort, there’s this focus on connecting all of us. I helped coordinate an ELED Ambassador sponsored event, a Hot Chocolate Bar Social, for the ELED undergraduate students, and seeing all these people I'm working alongside made me realize I'm on the right track," she explained. “We’re all here to support each other as future teachers.”

Fieldwork has also deepened her commitment to the teaching profession. After having experiences in second-grade classrooms, Auda began working with kindergarteners, and discovered something new.

“I didn’t expect to love kindergarten so much,” she laughed. “I’ve enjoyed learning about all of the different subjects and it’s amazing to watch the first moment something clicks, like when the write their name for the first time.”

Looking ahead, Auda’s vision for her future classroom reflects a place that is inclusive and is centered around teamwork. “I remember as a kid, I always appreciated teachers who prioritized building a connection, as it made my learning experience more engaging and valuable,” she explained. “I want my classroom to feel like a collaborative space, both my space and the students’ space. I want every student to feel included and supported. I want to be the person for them that listens and does not judge.”

A Shared Commitment to Rebuilding the Educator Pipeline

For CEHD, the teacher shortage isn’t an abstract statistic — it’s a reality felt in every partner district. Schools report classrooms rotating through substitutes, unfilled critical roles, and young teachers who leave the profession long before they planned to. As the largest producer of educators in Virginia, George Mason sees both the urgency and the responsibility as well as the opportunity.

The Future Ready Teachers initiative grew from that commitment. Instead of accepting the shortages as inevitable, CEHD is working to remove the financial and structural barriers that keep talented people from entering and staying in the profession. The rise in living costs, unpaid student teaching requirements, licensure fees, and long commutes often derail even the most dedicated future teachers.

Future Ready Teachers directly tackles those obstacles through expanded scholarships, cost-of-living support, strengthened mentoring, and deeper partnerships with local school districts. The initiative also works to reframe teaching as a purpose-driven career—one worthy of the region’s brightest students.

The result is a stronger, more inclusive pipeline that welcomes transfer students like Trina Auda, and others whose experiences reflect the diversity of today’s classrooms. George Mason isn’t just looking to fill vacancies. It’s helping to rebuild a stable, supported educator workforce that will shape the future of every child in Virginia.