# @loyolamaryland on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DagGAllH42x
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/67742406-loyolamaryland-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/41e272693e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-07-07T18:19:20.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Loyola University MD (@LoyolaMaryland) — https://gondola.cc/LoyolaMaryland

## Caption

Meet Tara Larson, an Elementary Education Class of 2026 graduate with dual licensure in Special Education!

"Loyola has prepared me to be a confident leader. Loyola's courses, clubs, and organizations encouraged me to voice my perspective and live with purpose, reflecting the Jesuit values I believe in."

During her time at Loyola, Tara embraced every opportunity. She served as a LoyolaGA, participated in the LoyolaEducationSociety, BestBuddiesLoyolaMD, and LUMDanceCompany, studied abroad in Cork, Ireland, and completed field experiences with Baltimore City and Baltimore County Public Schools through Loyola_Education. During her senior year, she managed her own classroom alongside her mentor, Denise Gillispie, '92, at Lutherville Laboratory, an elementary school in Baltimore County.

"The guidance, trust, and encouragement I received from Ms. Denise showed the impact a dedicated teacher can have on a student's life. Student teaching helped me connect lessons from Loyola classes to experiential learning while developing my personal teaching style."

Tara also presented research at Loyola’s annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium, where her project, "Scaffolding Words, Strengthening Readers," earned third place. "The findings reinforced my passion for integrating evidence-based practices into my teaching philosophy. I share this recognition with the incredible young learners I had the privilege to teach."

This fall, Tara will attend Teachers College at Columbia University to pursue a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching with Professional Certification in Elementary Education. She will also serve as an Associate Teacher at the Academy of St. Joseph in Manhattan. As she begins this next chapter, she remains committed to Jesuit values, aiming to be "an active example of caring for the whole person by engaging with communities and incorporating Ignatian Citizenship into my daily life."

#HoundTales

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