Alia Bradley |
Juniors
Alia Bradley and Taelor Freeman, both of Windham, were among six students at
Saint Joseph College to be awarded the $25,000 scholarship for the 2020-2021
school year in support of their studies in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) and secondary education.
“Saint Joseph’s College is deeply committed to educating the next
generation of STEM teachers for Maine schools,” Saint Joseph College
President Jim Dlugos said. “STEM
education remains the foundation and the number-one priority for training
Maine’s future skilled and educated workforce. By working with SMCC and schools
across Maine, this project promises to draw more students into STEM-Ed degrees,
provide teacher training with diverse populations, and plant seeds with current
high school and middle school students to become future STEM teachers.”
According to Dlugos, scholarship
recipients will attend conferences,
participate in field experiences, and hear from experts as part of a new
deep-dive seminar series. Additionally, they will receive induction support and
professional development upon starting their careers in math and science
classrooms in high-need school districts.
He said that the Growing Future STEM
Teachers in Maine Noyce scholarships project was designed to increase the
number of secondary STEM teachers in an era when nearly a third of Maine
teachers are 55 years old and nearing retirement, and to address the
decades-old shortage of STEM teachers in Maine. The program encourages students
from high-need school districts to return to their communities as teachers and
leaders of the next generation of science and math educators.
Taelor Freeman |
“Teaching STEM is more than preparing
the next generation of professionals. It is about sharing the wonder and awe
that is the natural world, while connecting natural phenomena to our everyday
lives,” Bradley said.
She is transferring to Saint Joseph
College from Southern Maine Community College in South Portland to complete her
Biology and Secondary Education degree.
“Studying life and
being alive has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Teaching STEM is more than
preparing the next generation of professionals,” Bradley said. “It is about
sharing the wonder and awe that is the natural world, while connecting natural
phenomena to our everyday lives. I hope to empower my students with the
knowledge of the natural system, so they make informed decisions as it concerns
their personal health, behavior, and local environment.”
Bradley, a 2007 graduate of Windham
High School, said she’s looking forward to meeting other peers in the
STEM network and discussing ideas that will help them to develop
professionally. She loves to spend time outdoors and, in the future, she hopes
to have an opportunity
to mentor students in research programs and science fairs.
Freeman,
a Math and Secondary Education major at Saint Joseph College, said that the
scholarship will assist her in preparing to give back to her community through
teaching.
“I want to be a STEM teacher because I not only
enjoy math, but I like helping others with it as well,” Freeman said. “I love
seeing the moment it makes sense to someone and that I helped in that process.”
She said that the scholarship will provide her the opportunity to develop
her teaching skills and to apply them in future experiences through the Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine Noyce program.
Freeman
is a 2018 graduate of Windham High School. <
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