After only seven years of teaching at UT, Ockhee Bego has been nominated by former students to be one of this year's Texas 10. The Texas 10 is an exclusive group of faculty honored by alumni each year for their dedication and enthusiasm.
Bego set aside a successful career in the fashion industry when she decided to return to school and finish an undergraduate degree in Textiles and Apparel. That was 10 years ago, and she has not yet left UT.
She spoke with The Alcalde about what sparked her interest in teaching and her approach to students:
Surprisingly, Bego discovered teaching by accident. "My junior year, they needed a TA for one of the classrooms, so they asked me if I could fill in." she says, "That's how I started teaching, and I've fallen in love."
As it turns out, her professional experience has become an integral part of Bego's teaching philosophy. "I believe that apparel design, like foreign language, is best learned by immersion," Bego says. She strives to introduce her students to the practicalities of the fashion industry—from drawing patterns to sewing garments—while they're still in the classroom. But when it comes to design itself, Bego encourages her students to think outside of the box. "Instead of telling them what to do, I want them to develop their own styles and their own ideas, and I will guide them," she says. "After all, this is a creative process."
Check out the full story in The Alcalde.
