SARAH BOZZUTO - MATHEMATICS
Southeastern helped graduate mix math, education, and travel

Sarah Bozzuto had no trouble finding a job in the field she loves. “I sent out resumés right after I graduated. They hired me on the spot…This is going to be my sixth year there,” Bozzuto said. She credits Southeastern with giving her the skills to become an eighth-grade math teacher.

“The math part was easy for me, but teaching was what I really learned there, how to actually run a classroom,” the math education graduate said.

Southeastern enabled Bozzuto to study teachers and classes first-hand through field experiences throughout her college career. Courses such as teaching math in middle school and classroom management provided the base on which she has built her teaching style since graduating in 2002. “The professors were really good. They made sure you didn’t leave without understanding what they had taught,” she said.

One of her biggest opportunities came senior year, when she did an internship on Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the South Pacific. The experience was perfect practice for her current job at Liberty Middle School in Tampa, Florida. “In Saipan there were a lot of different cultures, kids from all different countries. I probably had every nationality, and living in Florida now, it’s about the same. You’re dealing with kids from different backgrounds,” Bozzuto said. There were many internship choices closer to Southeastern, but she knew she wanted to travel. “Southeastern really made it work for me,” she said.

Bozzuto also traveled to South Africa on a mission trip with Southeastern. There, she had another opportunity to do what she loves. “We had adult classes and children’s classes…We worked with all age groups, but there were a lot of children,” she said. She also met her husband on the trip, fellow Southeastern graduate and missions major, Tom Bozzuto. The Bozzutos continue to go on mission trips together and also do children’s ministry at their church, First Assembly of God Church in Riverview, Florida. Bozzuto sings in the church choir as well.

Bozzuto’s busy lifestyle reflects her years at Southeastern, which were also filled with activities. She was a member of a residence hall leadership team, which planned activities and led devotions. Bozzuto sang in the worship choir. She also served on the public relations team of Southeastern President Dr. Mark Rutland. “We helped with [Dr. Rutland’s] inauguration…basically, we were the president’s team of students,” she said.

Bozzuto first heard of Southeastern from youth camp, conventions, and from representatives that came to her church in her hometown of Titusville, Florida. Bozzuto says that Southeastern’s balance of Christian principles and challenging academics helped her not only become a successful educator, but also to grow in her walk with Christ.