Ellie Friedman graduated from Michigan State University in 2024 with a degree in Social Relations and Policy and completed her student teaching in May 2025. Today, she is a first-year English teacher at Birmingham Groves High School.
Friedman’s career path was inspired early by exceptional teachers who showed her the power of learning and curiosity. At MSU, she found an environment that paired that inspiration with opportunity – particularly through the Honors College and the College of Education. From her first year, Friedman engaged in education research, a transformative experience often made possible through donor support.
“There is nowhere else where I could be paid to do cutting-edge education research as a freshman in college,” she shared.
Friedman worked closely with faculty and researchers in the College of Education while completing coursework for her Secondary Education degree. She co-authored academic papers, collected data in classrooms and deepened her understanding of best practices in literacy education — work that connected research directly to real classrooms and real students.
Friedman’s academic experience was complemented by meaningful field placements and a year-long internship that allowed her to grow into the role of classroom teacher while receiving strong mentorship and support.
“There is nothing like the MSU internship,” she said, describing a pillar of the MSU Teacher Preparation Program experience. “It prepared me to hit the ground running. [M]y mentors continue to be collaborators and cheerleaders as I navigate my early career.”
Today, Friedman brings that preparation directly to her students. Teaching English with a social studies lens, she helps students connect literature and writing to history, culture and current events — encouraging them to think critically and find their voices.
“Supporting future educators is about affirming teaching matters,” she said. “It’s about believing in the next generation of teachers who still choose this work because education is a vital tool for equity and justice.”