The Collegiate Middle Level Association's purpose is to support and encourage its members as middle level education candidates; to provide its members with leadership development, volunteer, and presentation opportunities to build their professional portfolios; to connect you with faculty and more information about your chosen field; and to facilitate attendance and presentation opportunities at various professional conferences.
To become a member of CMLA, you must actively be pursuing a career in the education of young adolescents, attend at least half of each semester's meetings, and pay annual dues.
Testimonials
"While elsewhere people often question why we want to become middle school teachers, CMLA brings together a community of likeminded peers who are genuinely enthusiastic to be working in this unique and exciting setting. CMLA has allowed me to me make enduring relationships with other undergraduate students and to learn from many of the knowledgeable professionals in our field. CMLA has been key to my feeling both encouraged and prepared for my career!"
-Hannah Magraw, CMLA President
"The Middle Level program is an amazing program to be in. I switched into this program last year and have been met with unbelievable support from all the staff, faculty, and students in my cohort. When I first heard of CMLA, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a group of people whose aim was to help each other become better students and future educators. When I went to my first meeting, I was impressed by the enthusiasm and passion that the members had for middle school. But I was most impressed by how much they wanted to help everyone in the group succeed. After that first meeting, I was sure that I wanted to join this group of amazing people. CMLA is a fantastic group if you are looking to teach middle school. We work on professional development, networking, and helping our members get in touch with resources they can use as students and educators. But most importantly, it’s a place where all members support each other. It doesn’t matter where you are in the program or what content areas you want to teach; CMLA is there to help support everyone who wants to teach middle school."
-Hannah Cherry, Treasurer
"CMLA was a blessing to me as a junior. Having upperclassmen help me navigate my junior year allowed me to be confident in my studies and feel included in the Middle Level community here at USC. At the annual SCAMLE conference in Myrtle Beach this past February, I was able to bond with the upperclassmen even more, and I am thankful that I have those connections and mentors as I enter into student teaching this fall."
-Sarah Campbell, Vice President