Institute for Early Childhood Development & Education

Congratulations to the first recipients of the Mahoney Travel Fund for undergraduate students in the Texas A&M University Institute for Early Childhood Development & Education. This generous gift made possible through the support of our valued partners Dr. Sue Mahoney ’94 ’02 and Patrick Mahoney ’71, provides students with opportunities to attend national and regional conferences across the country. Through these experiences, students were able to network with leaders in the field and present research developed under the mentorship of Texas A&M University Institute for Early Childhood Development & Education.

We are proud to recognize the following student award recipients: Stephanie Barrera, Samantha Hart-Ihnken, Catie Samson, Valeria de la Serna Gonzalez, and Rachel Williams.

Samantha Hart-Inken, a junior in the EC-6 teacher preparation major in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, College of Education and Human Development, is named AERA Undergraduate Research Fellow. The AERA Undergraduate Fellows were selected based on the quality of their research studies and their plans for graduate study in the field of education research. As part of the fellowship, Hart-Inken presented her research at the prestigious annual meeting of the American Education Research Association.

Khali Shaw, Lead Teacher at Becky Gates Children’s Center, has been named TXAEYC Teacher of the Year by the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. The award honors her creativity, passion, and commitment to supporting the growth and development of young children.

Her nominators noted, “Khali Shaw is an innovative and passionate early childhood educator who exemplifies developmentally appropriate practices and demonstrates a deep understanding of how young children learn best. She skillfully integrates child-led projects with core academic content, nurturing both curiosity and deep learning in her classroom.”