2012-2013 Foundation Scholarship Winners
The IRTA Foundation is pleased to announce the 2012-2013 IRTA Foundation Scholarship winners. These individuals are promising students with strong academic records and a real desire to teach tomorrow's youth. This year, $1, 500 is being awarded to each of our winners. Thanks to a very generous private donation from one of our members, Areas 4 and 6 are awarding two scholarships in their Area. The eight winners were chosen through competition with other applicants from their own area of the state. Congratulations to the following recipients!
Sarah Schopp
The Area 1 winner is Sarah Schopp of Pontiac, IL. She will be receiving her Associate in Arts Degree from Heartland Community College in May and has been accepted into the Illinois State University Elementary Education program. Sarah has been a volunteer Teacher's aide at St. Mary's School in Pontiac for two years which has confirmed her dreams of being an elementary school teacher.
The Area 2 winner is Natalie Beaver of Elgin, IL. Natalie is currently a Junior at Western Illinois University and is majoring in early childhood education. After earning her Bachelor's degree she would like to later earn her Master's degree. Natalie states, "Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world and I want to help make an impact on children and see them develop into their own person".
The Area 3 winner is Nicole Mitchell of Richton Park, IL. She attends Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL where she is pursuing a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. Nicole also plans to continue her education by earning a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in English as a Second Language. She would one day like to teach in a G.E.D. program to help youth and adults earn their General Education Diploma.
The Area 4 winner is Whitney Homer of Macomb, IL. She attends Western Illinois University where she is majoring in Elementary Education. Whitney is also working on her English Second Language/English Language Learner endorsement so she can reach every student. Whitney also volunteers as a "big sister" in the campus Big Brothers/Big Sister Program.
Another Area 4 winner is Paige Vinyard of Greenfield, IL. She received an Associate degree in Fine Arts from Lewis and Clark Community College and currently attends Greenville College majoring in Elementary Education. Paige looks forward to pursuing her career in education upon graduation.
Lauren Jordan
The Area 5 winner is Lauren Jordan of Monticello, IL. She attended Parkland College where she earned an Associate degree in Fine Arts. Lauren currently attends the University of Illinois where she is majoring in Elementary Education. Lauren states that, "Not only do I want to see students learn and succeed, but I want to push them to excel above and beyond the curriculum."
The Area 6 winner is Sarah Morris of Dorsey, IL. Sarah received an Associates in Arts Degree from Lewis and Clark Community College. She attends Southern Illinois University Edwardsville majoring in English Education. Because of her high GPA, Sarah was invited to join the Golden Key Honor Society; an organization that is limited to the top fifteen percent of her class.
Caitlin Siler
Another Area 6 winner is Caitlin Siler of Equality, IL. She attended Southeastern Illinois College where she earned an Associate in Arts degree. She currently attends the University of Southern Indiana and is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Reading. Caitlin is a member of the Evansville Area Reading Council and the Illinois Education Association. She has also volunteered with the Accelerated Reader program at Gallatin County Grade School.
IRTA would like to congratulate all of our winners and wish them success in their future classroom endeavors. If you know anyone who would be interested in applying for our 2013-2014 IRTA Foundation scholarships, please contact Susan Goetz at 800.728.4782 or susan@irtaonline.org to get further information.
Moler-Austin Scholarship Results
The Moler-Austin Scholarship is another scholarship available through the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation. Each year two scholarships of $3,500 are available to Kendall County high school graduates pursuing a degree in secondary education. Preference is given to those applicants with a focus in English or a foreign language. This scholarship is available because of a generous gift from IRTA member Identa Austin. Identa donated 80 acres of land to the IRTA, and the profits from the sale of that land are used to fund the Moler-Austin scholarship.
The 2012-2013 recipients are Nicholas Cowger and Kelly Clayton.
Nicholas Cowger
Nicholas Cowger will be entering his senior year at Illinois State University and is majoring in secondary Biological Science Education. Nicholas is from Yorkville, Illinois where he graduated from Yorkville High School in 2009. He attended Waubonsee Community College where he earned his Associate in Science degree with Honors. Throughout his college career, Nicholas has maintained a 4.0 GPA. This semester, he joined the America Reads/America Counts program that seeks to increase the math/reading comprehension of students.
Kelly Clayton
Kelly Clayton is from Plano, Illinois and graduated in 2009 from Plano High School. She has attended Illinois State University, Waubonsee Community College, and currently attends Aurora University where she is majoring in Education. Kelly is entering her senior year of college and looks forward to becoming a teacher and helping her students succeed.
The IRTA wishes Nicholas and Kelly the very best as they complete their course work to become educators.
If you know anyone interested in applying for next year's scholarships, please contact Susan Goetz at 800.728.4782 or susan@irtaonline.org for further information.
