McKay School of Education > News > Maren Dennis
Maren Dennis
Maren Dennis grew up watching cougar football games and remembers looking forward to the stories her “cool older siblings” would tell when they came home from BYU. Naturally she chose to attend BYU as well. “I came from a true blue family,” she reflects. “What else could I do?” Thus far in her time in Provo, Maren has come to treasure different aspects of BYU, from the gospel-centered environment to the ham and pepperjack sandwiches in the CougarEat.
With only one year left before she graduates from the McKay School, Maren is eagerly looking forward to putting her education into practice. “I’m excited to get into a real classroom to try the things I’ve been learning about,” she says. Maren is pursuing a degree in English teaching with a minor in theatre education, and she hopes to transmit her excitement for learning into the lives of her students. “I love seeing other people learning something for themselves and getting excited about it,” she says. Maren explains that teaching has personal benefits as well, because helping other people grasp a concept increases her own understanding.
Maren is already advocating for school-aged children by conducting research under the direction of her mentor, Betty Ashbaker, a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education. “Last school year we conducted a bullying survey in three types of schools: rural, suburban, and urban,” Maren explains. “This year we’ve been working on comparing the results from the different schools.” Maren presented her research at the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research in February 2009. “I’ve co-presented about our project several times before but never really had an audience,” she says. “This time the room was full and people asked good questions.”
In addition to teaching in a classroom, Maren wants to be a mom—a role in which her degree will be highly useful. “There will still be many opportunities to use my teaching skills,” she notes. “I’m going to force my kids to read a lot.” Maren married her husband, Aaron, in August 2008. “Our names rhyme—Aaron and Maren,” she points out. “That’s not why we got married.” In regards to her family, Maren’s life goal is to be a loving mother and wife. “I want my kids to like me,” she says. “And I never want to yell at my husband unless it’s to warn him of an oncoming train or something like that.” In her free time, Maren loves reading, watching Monk, discussing political articles, and going for walks with her husband.