The IRTA Foundation awards six $1,500 scholarships to incoming juniors or seniors in college that are pursuing a degree in education. Thanks to a very generous private donation from one of our members, Areas 4 and 6 each will award a second scholarship of $3,000. The eight winners were chosen through competition with other applicants from their own area of the state.
Scholarships
2018 IRTA Area Foundation Scholarship Recipients
The Area 1 recipient is Hannah Wilczynski of Lanark, IL. Hannah is a current junior and attends Indiana Wesleyan University. She is a Mathematics education major.
The Area 2 recipient is Brittany Moran of Palatine, IL. Brittany is a junior at Ball State University where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.
The Area 3 recipient is Anna Denault of Gibson City, IL. Anna is a current junior and attended Parkland College. She is now attending Illinois State University where she is majoring in Elementary Education.
The Area 4 recipient is Alysa Layden of Hudson, IL. Alysa attended Heartland Community College and will be starting her junior year at Illinois State University. She is a Secondary Education English major and is minoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
The Area 4 recipient of the additional scholarship is Adrienne Klockenga of Lincoln, IL. She attended Lincoln College and Heartland Community College where she earned an Associate of Science Degree. She is currently a junior at Illinois State University where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education.
The Area 5 recipient is Whitney Smith of Sullivan, IL. Whitney attended Lakeland College and is in her junior year at Millikin University where she is majoring in Elementary Education with an English Second Language endorsement.
The Area 6 recipient is Hayley Palmer of Carlyle, IL. Hayley is currently a junior and is attending Greenville University where she is an Elementary Education major.
The Area 6 additional scholarship is being divided between two recipients, Megan and Rachel Washburn of New Baden, IL. Megan is in her junior year at Murray State University. She is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education.
The Area 6 additional scholarship is being divided between two recipients. Rachel is currently a junior at Eastern Illinois University where she is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish with the hopes to teach students in both English and Spanish.
2018 Moler-Austin Recipients
The Moler-Austin Scholarship is available through the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation. Two scholarships of $4,500 are awarded to Kendall County high school graduates pursuing a degree in education. 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.
This scholarship is advertised in all the local papers in Kendall County. The ad runs the last week of December and the first week of January. This is in hopes of students that are home for Winter Break will see the advertisement.
Congratulations to Brooke and Madelyn and the IRTA Foundation wishes them much success as future educators!
Brooke Jensen of Yorkville, IL is attending Illinois State University and is a current freshman. She is admitted into the Middle Level Education program and her goal is to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Level Education specializing in Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts.
Madelyn Cullick of Oswego, IL is attending the University of Illinois in Springfield where she is a current junior majoring in Elementary Education and Educational Psychology.