Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
Dr. Ali Lacina’s move from the Midwest to the Deep South when she joined the University of West Alabama faculty wasn’t the only major change for her. The move marked a shift from 25 years teaching K-8 students to shaping the next generation of educators at the college level.
Lacina has been passionate about teaching since she was in second grade. “My parents tell a story from my kindergarten year when a teacher informed them at the parent/teacher conference that I wanted to be the teacher and run the classroom,” she recalls, laughing. “Even then, I was meant to be a teacher—I just didn’t realize it yet.”
Born and raised in Elgin, Illinois, Lacina is a fifth-generation native. Although she had lived in Iowa for the past several years, leaving her family behind was still difficult. Yet, she felt a strong pull toward UWA.
“I had a great school year teaching—one of the best ever—but I was searching for more,” she says. “After watching an interview with Dr. Jan Miller on a local TV station, most of what she said really resonated with me.” Then a series of events, from her priest giving a homily, ‘What are you waiting for? Cast out into the darkness; you never know what’s going to happen’ to seeing a job posting at UWA a few days later, “it was in that moment I felt urged to act, so I applied.”
Now in her first year teaching at the college level, Lacina is excited to inspire future educators with the same passion that drove her all those years.
“Effective teaching isn’t just about book knowledge. It’s about passion, growth, and learning from your students as much as they learn from you.”
Dr. Ali Lacina
Lacina wants her students to graduate confident and prepared. “First-year teachers can’t know what veteran educators learn over decades, but I share my experience and constantly introduce new strategies—five or six tools each class—that they can use in their own classrooms.”
Switching from K-8 to college classrooms has been mostly seamless. “They’re still students; I’m just training them now. Thank goodness they’re eager, attentive, and even tolerate the dumb jokes I make,” Lacina chuckles. “The biggest challenge is navigating new technology—but I’m confident it will come together soon.”
Lacina, the oldest of three sisters, all educators—comes from a large extended family. Yet she’s embraced her new home, enjoying southern hospitality and the close-knit feel of UWA. “Here,” she says, “strangers stop to chat, and the faculty and staff genuinely invest in their students, not just as numbers, but as people—and it shows.”
Currently, Lacina teaches junior education majors science and social studies methods through literacy, plus an integrated arts methods class to seniors. “My job is to show them how to teach social studies effectively, manage hands-on science lessons, and weave arts like dance and music into every subject,” she explains. “Young children need movement, and incorporating the arts lets them learn while being active. That’s what excites me most!”