A new program for future teachers at Santa Rosa Junior College, as recounted by a physics major participant

As a community college physics major whose career goal is to be a college physics instructor, the Teaching Fellows Program, a new program at Santa Rosa Junior College, is a great experience and learning opportunity for me in terms of both my educational and career goals. The program, now in its second academic year, is made possible by two donations by an anonymous donor totaling {\$}6 million. Each student applies with a full-time faculty member in their target discipline to the program, and, if accepted, the faculty member acts as the student's mentor, teaching the student how to be a teacher and developing with him or her a plan of teaching-related activities. The student also receives a {\$}3,600 scholarship, and monthly cohort meetings provide an opportunity for the students to learn from each other and each other's mentors. Under the mentorship of my physics instructor from last semester, Dr. Younes Ataiiyan, I have been assisting in his lab and discussion sessions, running review sessions and tutoring for his class, learning about how to run a class, seeing what a teacher's work outside of the classroom looks like, and getting various extracurricular experiences valuable to a future in physics (like this presentation!).