5 Year Art Education Program Alumnus, Wisley Dorce, Hired to Teach at Alma Mater
Wisley Dorce, a former student of the FSU Department of Art Education’s 5 Year Combined B.A/M.S. Program, was recently hired to teach at his alma mater, Sligh Middle School. Wisley attended the school for three years during his childhood when he was growing up in Tampa. As part of the Hillsborough County School District, Sligh Middle School is a medical studies and exploration magnet school. In addition, the school’s faculty and administration strongly supports and admires the arts and has a vision to become a district leader in academic and community excellence.
Inspired and encouraged by his third grade teacher, Wisley decided to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. He then enrolled in a technical/vocational high school and studied commercial arts for four years. Wisley then continued his education with an increased interest in visual arts, attending Florida State University and becoming a student of the 5 Year Art Education Program. This particular program allowed Wisley to obtain an Undergraduate degree in Art and a Masters in Art Education.
In reflection on his experiences in Florida State’s art education program, Wisley commented, “My experiences [helped to develop] the idea of the arts as a communication vessel, through which I have formed both an intrinsic and extrinsic appreciation of the arts through art education. The more I learned about art education and thought about my career objectives, the more I became convinced that pursuing a degree in that field would be a good path for me.”
Impressively, Wisley was hired to teach prior to his graduation date in mid-December. Sligh Middle School hired him in November, and agreed that they would hold the job for him until he graduated. In the field of education, mid-year jobs like this one are truly hard to come by and highly competitive. Knowing this, it reflects highly on Wisely for obtaining this desired position in the school-system. With the announcement of Wisley’s hire, the 5 Year Art Education Program now boasts a 91% hire rate from its students who were seeking jobs in public school settings since the program became operational two and a half years ago.
Wisley is looking forward to this exciting professional opportunity and feels ready to “‘RE’-join the Sligh Cougar Community.”
FSU Department of Art Education is proud of Wisley Dorce and all our alumni. Please share your news: http://art-design.cvatd.fsu.edu/arted/submit/submit-news/.