Adolph Dagan
“I want to encourage others to excel, that come from other countries and believe that learning and the curriculum at Austin Peay is difficult. They can do it and it can be done.”
Major: Education
Hometown: Moyen Mono, Togo, West Africa
Involvement: Student Tennessee Education Association
Adolph Dagan never felt that education was a priority for his home country of Togo, West Africa. And he should know after spending two years teaching Biology in the country.
He relocated to the U.S. following that part of his teaching career, and he began serving in the military where his interest in furthering his education grew. Working around his schedule as a service member and family responsibilities was difficult, but Austin Peay gave him the opportunity to earn a degree in Education with a flexible class arrangement.
“Austin Peay worked best for me and my schedule, because if I would have had classes on any other days, I wouldn’t have been able to go to school.” Dagan said.
As the only class member who did not speak clear English, he was the only male to complete and pass his courses. That was a sign for Dagan, and something that pushes him today to help others.
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“I want to encourage others to excel, that come from other countries and believe that learning and the curriculum at Austin Peay is too hard,” he said. “They can do it and it can be done.”
Dagan credits much of his success at Austin Peay to his professors, because they gave him the outlets he needed. The most important of these was graduate school.
Dagan said he wanted to continue his education but didn’t quite have the GRE scores he needed. After sitting down with Dr. Barbara Peterson of the Education department, he was able to enroll.
Since graduating from Austin Peay in 2014, Dagan has become a French teacher in Clarksville at Rossview High School. He has also started the Dagan Foundation in 2012 in order to spread education, support the less privileged and endow them with excellence and positive mentality.
“Without the help of my professors at Austin Peay, I wouldn’t be where I am today chasing my dream, teaching.”
