Rockefeller ScholarsMay 10, 2006 -- Brooke Hogan '07 learned this week that she has been awarded a prestigious Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color for 2006. Brooke joins juniors Jeaneth Iniguez and Yesenia Hernandez among the three MSMC students receiving the honor. Brooke had been named first alternate to receive a scholarship, and accepted the fellowship after another candidate dropped out of the program. Brooke was "the overwhelming favorite" to replace the other candidate, Rockefeller officials said. Since the program’s inception in 1992, 26 Mount students have been awarded fellowships in the highly competitive program. Nationwide, 300 students have received fellowships.
The students will receive grants from the fund for up to $22,100 to use on a summer teaching-related project this year, a master’s program in teacher education, and loan repayments. Brooke, a child development major with an emphasis in child psychology and a psychology minor, plans to apply to an education master's program at Loyola Marymount University and begin her studies in fall 2007. She plans to teach elementary school, perhaps at the public 54th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles where she worked with children living in the foster care system. "I saw that a lot of the kids didn’t get the type of care that they needed," Brooke said. "They were coming into the school system not even knowing their ABCs or how to spell their names." Brooke, Jeaneth, a history major, and Yesenia, an English major, each withstood a rigorous national selected process that required a passion for teaching in the public schools and included interviews at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund headquarters in New York City. They are among 25 students from 16 institutions nationwide selected for the awards this year. Jeaneth, the first in her family to attend college, immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her parents when she was 2. She grew up in Carson, Calif., and was inspired by her hard-working parents to pursue an education and contribute to society. Jeaneth, who plans to teach U.S. history to high school juniors, said Mount St. Mary’s College inspired her to teach in public schools with its focus on diversity, and a student population that mirrors that of Los Angeles. “The Mount has allowed me to reach out to different cultures in my everyday life with all the diversity of its students,” she said. “This has helped me more easily adapt and prepare to teach in the classroom in Southern California, where we find students who may not speak English.” In August, the Mount students will join other fellows in Washington, D.C. to present their summer projects and learn more about graduate education programs. Juniors Jeaneth Iniguez, a history major, and Yesenia Hernandez, an English major, withstood a rigorous national selection process that required a passion for teaching in the public schools and included interviews at the Rockefeller Fund Brothers headquarters in New York City. They are among 25 students from 16 institutions nationwide selected for the awards this year.
"With the profound demographic shifts in public classrooms across the U.S., the Fellowships address the need for more people of color in the teaching profession," said Miriam Añeses, director, Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color. Since the program’s inception in 1992, 25 Mount students have been awarded fellowships. Nationwide, 300 students have received fellowships. Jeaneth, the first in her family to attend college, immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her parents when she was 2. She grew up in Carson, Calif., and was inspired by her hard-working parents to pursue an education and contribute to society. Jeaneth, who plans to teach U.S. history to high school juniors, said Mount St. Mary’s College inspired her to teach in public schools with its focus on diversity, and a student population that mirrors that of Los Angeles. "The Mount has allowed me to reach out to different cultures in my everyday life with all the diversity of its students, " she said. "This has helped me to more easily adapt and prepare to teach in the classroom in Southern California, where we find students who may not speak English." In August, Jeaneth and Yesenia join other fellows in Washington, D.C. to present their summer projects and learn more about graduate education programs. A third student, Brooke Hogan '07, a Child Development major, was named first alternate. Shouldany of the selected candidates around the country decline the fellowship, Brooke is next in line. Recipient of the Prestigious Award
Brenda Lopez ’06 rose from modest family roots in Pico Rivera to become the College’s newest recipient this March of a prestigious national teaching fellowship award. The Mount now counts 23 awardees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Students of Color Entering the Teaching Profession since the program’s inception in 1992. Lopez, one of six children of immigrants from Mexico, said her parents instilled in her the importance of an education. She is the first in her family to attend college. Lopez is among 25college juniors across the country to receive the teaching fellowship. The fellowships include a $2,500 stipend for a summer teaching project, and a stipend of $12,000 for one year of full-time graduate study or $16,000 for two years of full-time study. Upon completion of a graduate program, fellows who begin work in public school classrooms as credentialed teachers will be assisted with loan repayments up to $1,200 annually for up to three years of continuous teaching. Lopez said she hopes to attend Stanford University'sgraduate education program and return to El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera to teach history. “The best thing I can give back to my parents is to show them that their struggles coming over here weren’t wasted,” said Lopez, a history major. “I know if I make a difference in somebody else’s life in the classroom that my parents will be able to see that.” Lopez said she succeeded with the tough Rockefeller judges in New York thanks to good advice from her Mount mentor Diane Rodriguez, an instructor in the Psychology Department and Robin Gordon, director of the Secondary Education in the College’s Education Department. News on Past Recipients Once again, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has chosen two exceptional Mount students, Elaine Gonzalez '05 and Reggie Webster '05, to receive this highly competitive Fellowship for Minority Students Entering the Teaching Profession. These fellowships are awarded to outstanding minority undergraduate students in the arts and sciences who wish to pursue graduate degrees in education and teach in American public schools. Gonzalez and Webster are among only 25 student from 15 institutions nationally to receive this award. Their achievements mark the eighth year the College has had multiple recipients of this prestigious honor, bringing the number of Mount awardees to 22 since the inception of the award in 1992. Both juniors, Gonzalez and Webster are liberal studies majors enrolled in the Mount's Multiple Subject Teaching Credential program. Gonzalez, who attended inner-city Los Angeles public schools prior to The Mount, including Rosemont Elementary, Virgil Middle School and Belmont High School, sees the teaching profession as "an opportunity give back to inner-city schools and serve as a role model to the many young students going through the same school system I did." In contrast, Webster attended private schools throughout her academic career, including The City Tree in San Diego, where she now substitutes and teaches preschool. According to Webster, "this fellowship will provide me the opportunity to transition to the public school setting, learn about this type of educational structure, and make a difference in many children's lives." In August, both students will attend the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation summer workshop in Washington, D.C., with their mentors Pat Disterhoft, director of the The Mount's Early Childhood Education Program and Sister Teresita Espinosa, chair of the Music Department. The Rockefeller Fellowship for Minority Students Entering the Teaching Profession includes a $2,500 stipend for a summer teaching project to be completed this summer, and a stipend of $12,000 for one year of full-time graduate study or $16,000 for two years of full-time study. Upon completion of the program, fellows who begin work in public school classrooms as credentialed teachers will be assisted with loan payments up to $1,2000 annually for up to three years of continuous teaching. -The Mount Magazine Summer 2004
Congratulations to Elaine and Reggie! |
