A third and final group of East Central University students have been awarded Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarships in mathematics worth $30,000 each.
The 10 students receive $10,000 for up to three years while they work toward bachelor’s degrees in mathematics with a secondary teacher certification option.
The 10 students and their hometowns include: Krystal Brantley, Ada; Karina Chavez, Macomb; Stephanie Duncan, Paoli; Matthew Garner, Konawa; Allison McGuffin, Stratford; Cady Murphy, Aurora, Texas; Vikki Orso, Ada; Kendra Parker, Norman; Daniel Somers, Lexington; and Tyler Whitlock, Seminole.
Noyce Scholars are selected by faculty members in ECU’s Mathematics and Education Departments from students with a strong academic background in mathematics who otherwise would not consider teaching K-12 mathematics as a career.
In return, scholarship recipients commit to teach mathematics for six years at any secondary school in the United States. Most of these high-need schools such as Ada, Allen, Byng, Latta, Seminole, Sulphur and Vanoss High Schools have considered hiring teachers who graduate in the program.
High-need schools have at least one of these characteristics, a high-percentage of students from families with below poverty-line incomes, a high percentage of secondary school teachers not teaching in the content area in which they were trained to teach and/or a high teacher turnover rate.
Noyce Scholars also receive additional educational opportunities and support mechanisms such as master-mentor teachers, undergraduate research opportunities and travel expenses to attend conferences.
The scholarships are funded through a $900,000 Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant awarded to ECU by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The first eight students were selected for the program in 2010 and six more were chosen in 2011. These 10 will be the final group of this grant cycle.
For more information about the scholarships, contact Ferdinand at rferdand@ecok.edu or call 580-559-5493.