Two former education majors are being honored this weekend with Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Merit Awards.

Jay Wolz, the director of Alumni Relations, said this award is given annually to outstanding alumni members who are nominated by a selection committee, approved for nomination and approved by university President Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins.

"SEMO is like family to me," said Dr. Terry Adams while reminiscing about his years as a Southeast student and his connections to the university.

Adams, Dr. Judith Gallagher and seven others will be recognized with an Alumni Merit Award during this year's homecoming festivities.

Adams lived in eastern Missouri for most of his life before attending Southeast.

"I attended Southeast because it had a good reputation, it was relatively close to my home and it was affordable," Adams said.

Adams was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and participated in intramural athletics and student-sponsored activities while at Southeast.

"I really enjoyed my time at SEMO," Adams said.

Adams graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in education.

Content knowledge, pedagogy and common sense were important topics that were emphasized by his professors, Adams said.

Adams wanted to be an educator since his senior year of high school because of great role models. Immediately after graduation from Southeast, he began teaching elementary physical education and coaching junior high basketball in Union, Mo.

Adams later worked in numerous school districts throughout Missouri in positions that ranged from teaching physical education and drivers' education to being a guidance counselor, athletic director, director of federal programs and director of special education. He continued to coach basketball and also coached football and track.

Adams returned to Southeast to continue his education. He graduated in 1980 with a Master of Arts in education, guidance and counseling degree and in 1984 with a specialist degree in educational administration.

Adams is in his seventh year as the superintendent of the Wentzville R-IV School District, the largest and fastest-growing school district in Missouri. He was named the 2012 Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators.

The Wentzville R-IV School District has been growing by approximately 650 students annually for the past 10 years.

"Our district is changing out of necessity, and I enjoy the opportunity to shape that change," Adams said. "We are taking care of the issues of growth with respect to buildings and other resources, and ... we have improved student achievement significantly."

Most of Adams' family members have Southeast success stories as well. Adams' wife, older daughter and two sons-in-law have at least one degree from Southeast. His younger daughter chose to attend the St. Louis School of Pharmacy. Though Adams and his family jokingly call her the "black sheep," they are proud of her for graduating at the top of her class.

Adams said he is thrilled to receive the Alumni Merit Award because he is proud of Southeast and appreciates that the university is proud of his accomplishments.

Another recipient of the Alumni Merit Award is Gallagher, a two-time graduate of Southeast. The Sikeston, Mo., native graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in education with a major in English and a minor in history.

Gallagher attended Southeast because of the close proximity to her hometown and the esteemed education program, which she said made her confident that she could become "an effective teacher."

While an undergraduate student, Gallagher -- the first person in her family to attend college -- was in the English and education honorary societies, Alpha Delta Pi and the steering committee for freshmen orientation.

"The relationships I developed with sponsors, supervisors and other students taught me a lot about working relationships and teamwork," Gallagher said.

This sense of teamwork is very important in her life as an educator. After earning her teaching certificate, Gallagher taught middle school reading and high school English in Bloomfield, Mo., which is where she lived until she was 12 years old.

"I was teaching in the very room where I had taken social studies classes as a seventh grader, so it was like coming home," Gallagher said.

Gallagher moved to Murray, Ky., after marrying her husband. She returned to Southeast to study for her Master of Arts in English. During her return, Gallagher was a resident adviser in Dearmont Hall and worked in the office of admissions.

She then taught in various places throughout the Midwest before working for a healthcare company for a short period of time. But she soon returned to education.

"I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher because I loved learning, and I wanted to be part of that world every day," Gallagher said.

Her passion for education transferred from the classroom to an administrative position in 2000 when she was named the dean of Humanities at Tarrant County College's South Campus in Fort Worth, Texas.

Gallagher enjoys sharing advice with professors at her college. She also teaches an evening education class at Texas Wesleyan University, which she enjoys because she can influence and inspire the next set of educators.

Gallagher said being honored by Southeast with an Alumni Merit Award lets her know that she is doing well in life, but also that she has much more work to do. She never foresaw receiving this recognition, and said she is humbled by the honor.

"Education can change lives," Gallagher said.