Past Recipients
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Christie Cash-Weston
"Over the past summer, I worked with children of the villages of Maywood and Melrose Park. It was a summer day camp for children with a variety of disabilities and special needs, including behavioral disorder. These children were not only from a low-income area, but their parents' difficulty in dealing with their disabilities was especially apparent. It was fantastic to bring these children back into being a child and having fun. Proviso is in a severely impoverished suburban area. The children there come from a variety of ethnicities. I have found that the adolescents entering the Math and Science Academy are not equipped with basic study and note-taking skills, and specific to my field, they have great difficulty understanding science basics. I hope to enliven their sense of wonder for our world through science, as they have not seemed to have the opportunity or invitation to do so yet in their young lives." |
Veronica Cammon
"I have always had a desire to help people and never knew that teaching children would be my ultimate passion. Three times I was placed for student teaching and each time I declined because I was unable to manage financially. The financial burden was too much for me to carry and my husband and I were not able to make ends meet with one income for our household. It is an honor to receive this scholarship. Giving back to your community or society is important and without the organizations and individuals who support this fund, students in my situation would not have an opportunity to realize their dreams. I think that the scholarship fund is an excellent example of giving back and hope that some day I am able to sit among the alumni and offer the same opportunity to someone in the future." |
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Tonya Kirk
"Teaching our young people is, in my opinion, the most important and fulfilling career that anyone can pursue. I am making it my duty to help ensure that our future Presidents, Lawyers and Doctors, regardless of their socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, receive a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment." |
Andrew Martin
"I grew up on Chicago’s south side and attended schools in neighborhoods that were infested with gangs, drugs and crime. Because my southern reared grandmother was a strong disciplinarian, and my own mother a single parent who would fight for her kids, I adapted to my surroundings without becoming a part of my surroundings. But mainly, my teachers in school always fascinated me because while they were faced with disruption, arrogance, and classroom outbursts, they always cared about us and wanted to protect us from what was happening in the streets. My eyes were opened to all of this as a young man. Today, I feel deeply that no matter what, something needs to be done to educate our youth and give them a chance to overcome poverty and despair." |
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