A Goal to Teach Math
Morgan Petersen had worked hard to keep her grades up as she entered her fourth year at BYU. When an expected scholarship didn’t come through, the pressure was on to find another way to finance her education.
December 2025

Scott Miller is not a stereotypical teacher in training. “Normally I’m pretty introverted,” he says, “and sometimes I have social anxiety. So people may not see why I chose to become a teacher.” But he changes in the classroom. “I get a lot more upbeat and excited. I’m passionate about helping my students.”
Undeterred by these social challenges, Miller is majoring in special education in part because of his own diagnoses: ADHD, autism, and Tourette syndrome. He wants to be a disability advocate. “I think I can make a difference for kids who are struggling with the same things I am,” he says.
Miller strives to teach like the Savior: “He is a light that people can follow.” The McKay School’s focus on emulating the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ, inspires Miller. “Christ ministered to the one,” Miller says. “He knew people. He knew their needs. It’s the same way for special education. You can’t teach a rote lesson and expect it to work for everyone. You need to work with individual students.”
Morgan Petersen had worked hard to keep her grades up as she entered her fourth year at BYU. When an expected scholarship didn’t come through, the pressure was on to find another way to finance her education.
Jamie Schroeder is mitigating math anxiety in children through an educational framework called cognitively guided instruction.
Postgraduate student Molly Michaels was named Special Education Teacher of the Year while researching trauma-informed care in early childhood education.