Titan Tuesday - Zach Snider

Originally posted here.

Written by Chelsea Parratore

You may know him as Titus the Titan but to the School of Education, he is Zach Snider. Zach grew up in Nappanee, Indiana and graduated from Northwood High School. Zach now goes to IU South Bend majoring in Secondary Education with a focus in History and a minor in political science. Zach is a junior and works three jobs, one of which is being the face of IU South Bend, Titus the Titan, the school mascot.

Zach Snider as Titus the Titan When Zach was still in high school, he had planned to first be a firefighter, like his father, and then switched to a path of communication. His senior year Zach was committed to Ball State University, he had been accepted and had told them he was attending. But one morning, he woke up and decided that wasn’t his calling, it just didn’t feel right, and his path to becoming a teacher began. The next day he met with his guidance counselor and reworked his schedule. Next, he began looking at colleges in the area. Zach looked at Bethel but heard great things about IU South Bend. Zach took a showcase tour and he instantly found his place. In the course of one month, I changed my whole life plan, said Zach, adding that he wouldn’t change a thing.

Zach started taking classes at IU South Bend in the fall of 2016. He chose History because it was his favorite subject growing up. He would like to teach high school Government because he believes that it is important to know how things work in the place that you live, and he would like to be the one to shape young minds into proper citizens. Zach isn’t the only one his family that has chosen the education path. His mother has been a teacher for many years and is currently coming up on about 18 years, 16 of which has been as a kindergarten teacher. His mother has been one of his biggest inspirations, along with one of his high school History teachers.

Zach’s Sophomore year was a turning point in his college career. In the fall he was contacted by Scott Strittmatter, the Director of the Office of Student Life, and he was asked to come down and have a chat. He met with Scott and they talked about the expectations of being the new Titus the Titan and how it would work. Zach’s first event as the new Titus was the color run that year. Zach has been Titus going on two years now and being the beloved mascot has been a highlight for him. While portraying the campus mascot, he is also a campus tour guide, and a campus intern. In addition to all those activities, he has also started his Spring observing, where he goes to a school and floats from classroom to classroom helping wherever he is needed. Zach juggles three jobs and all the responsibilities of being a junior in the School of Education. Even though Zach seems very busy and the workload looks stressful, he always makes room for his school spirit and pride in IU South Bend.