Susie Mauldin has always had a passion for numbers, but her passion for teaching came a bit later. After dipping her toes in teaching Sunday school and volunteering with church programs, she decided to forgo her dream of being an accountant and become a full time teacher.

Now she’s been named winner of the 2021-2022 Regents Distinguished Teaching Award for her work in mathematics at OSU Institute of Technology.

“What I love most about teaching is helping students to see their own potential. It warms my heart when a student thanks me for taking the time to help them actually learn how to apply the mathematical concepts we have learned in class to their everyday lives,” Mauldin said.

She’s taught a multitude of courses over her 14 years in education. She joined OSUIT in 2013 and now teaches Math for Critical Thinking.

“I am extremely blessed to receive this honorable award. I know there are many faculty across campus who are just as dedicated as myself and are also deserving of this award. This is by far the greatest accomplishment of my educational career. To know someone took the time to nominate me leaves me speechless,” Mauldin said.

She credits the teachers she had growing up in rural Oklahoma with making her feel special. It’s been her goal to help students with their own mindset toward mathematics in the classroom.

“My goals include helping students change their mathematical mindsets and make meaningful, personal connections with my students. Many students enter my class with a fixed mindset that they are not good at math and will never be able to measure up to their peers. My job as an educator is to help those students transition into a growth mindset of believing their intelligence and talents can be developed over time by spending quality time practicing mathematical concepts,” Mauldin said.

She believes OSUIT stands above the rest in providing a compassionate learning environment to students.

“I believe what makes OSUIT unique from other 2 year campuses is the outpouring of kindness and compassion its employees have towards one another and most importantly, towards our students. We are blessed to have small class sizes, which allows us to really get to know our students. I am proud to be a part of OSUIT’s family!”