Looking back, Kevin Columbo remembers the value of teachers who made a difference in his life.

“My teachers showed incredible kindness," recalls the UVM Class of 2025 senior. "That made me determined to show up and work hard. They showed me just how important the job of a teacher is. I think that stuck with me.”

Columbo was also inspired by his grandmother Nonny who had a long career as an educator in New York City. “She still tutors students to this day. She showed me what a caring, mindful and exceptionally intelligent educator looks like. I aspire to be just that.”

As a Secondary Education major with a concentration in Biology, Columbo says the most rewarding part of teaching is working with students to help them understand something they are struggling to learn. 

“I enjoy finding ways to break down ideas to help students conceptualize it in their own way,” explains the UVM Presidential Scholarship recipient. “It’s great to see something finally click with students.”

Columbo experienced that feeling on a daily basis as a student teaching intern at Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington.

“I had had a great time with it," he reflects. "I enjoy working with my students, lesson planning, and learning as I go. At a recent science fair, my students got to show off the incredible experiments that they conducted over the past few months.”

To build his teaching skills, Columbo engaged in a variety of practical experiences in the community over the past four years. After working with youth at the Sara Holbrook Community Center, he started volunteering at the ECHO Center on the Burlington Waterfront. 

The summer before senior year, he was accepted into an internship program at ECHO along with three other interns. 

“I met some incredible people and hundreds upon hundreds of visitors from all over,” he says. “The busy days facilitating engineering challenges with numerous kids threw me out of my comfort zone and helped me to grow as an educator. It was a great experience. I learned so much and ate a lot of free ice cream. What more could I ask for?”

Columbo credits the outstanding support of his mentor teacher Amelia Lutz at Tuttle and UVM faculty who supported his success from the start. 

“Professors like Jenny Prue and Tricia Brown opened up opportunities for me beyond the classroom. It was great to have the support of experienced educators, especially during my student teaching.”

Columbo also engaged in undergraduate research creating some new compounds in Rory Waterman’s chemistry lab last semester. And he was a co-founder of the UVM Teacher Club that brings a group of aspiring educators together. 

His best memory from the past four years? Watching in astonishment during total eclipse from the ECHO Center balcony at Burlington Waterfront last spring. “The view was beautiful. Standing with and above the crowd made me feel truly connected with the city.”