Education.com Announces Winners of Scholarships for Aspiring Teachers
The online education destination grants award opportunities for aspiring teachers Annalise Oertwich, Aline Pham, Meagan Pittelko, and Vickie Thomas.
SAN MATEO, Calif. – August 30, 2019
Education.com, the leading online education destination for teachers, parents, and homeschoolers looking to help their children succeed in school, today announced four new scholarship recipients, including the first winner of the From Classroom to Classroom Scholarship.
Every six months, Education.com selects winners for its Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship for undergraduate or graduate students pursuing careers in early education and its Building the Future Scholarship for low-income or minority undergraduates. This June, Education.com introduced a new annual scholarship for high school seniors planning to study in the field of education, called From Classroom to Classroom. More details about the scholarships are available at https://www.education.com/scholarships/.
The $10,000 Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship has been awarded to Meagan Pittelko, a master's student at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Instruction and Curriculum. “I feel grateful for the support that Education.com has provided to me,” Pittelko says. “This scholarship will allow me to continue growing and developing my understanding of early childhood and special education through coursework and collaboration with my colleagues.”
The two recipients of the $5,000 Building the Future Scholarship are Vickie Thomas and Annalise Oertwich. Thomas is an incoming sophomore at Liberty University studying Early Childhood Education Interdisciplinary Studies. She is excited to finally pursue her lifelong dream of teaching elementary school students, after years of putting others’ needs ahead of her own career goals. “Winning this scholarship means that my dreams are finally within reach,” she says. “This will enable me to attain my degree and walk in my life’s purpose: educating the next generation.”
Oertwich is studying Elementary Education at Linfield College in Oregon, where she will be a junior this fall. The racism that she experienced growing up fuels her drive for equality and individuality in her future students.“I remember the feeling of being ‘different’ and an ‘alien’ among many people who were supposed to be my peers, and I never want any child to feel that way. Every child needs to feel like they belong in education, no matter their circumstances or backgrounds. I will never stop advocating for social justice and equity in education,” Oertwich explains.
The first-ever $5,000 From Classroom to Classroom Scholarship has been awarded to Aline Pham, a rising freshman at the University of California at Irvine pursuing a degree in Education Sciences. “Although my dream has always been to become a teacher, aspiring educators do not always receive enough social or financial support to make their dreams a reality,” Pham says. “I am incredibly thankful to have found a community that will support me as I step into my first classroom.”
“Our scholarship program supports future educators who have what it takes to become top-notch teachers, despite challenges that have gotten in their way,” says Co-CEO Todd Schwartz. “Teachers play such a vital role in the growth, development, and success of today’s children. This is why Education.com is committed to supporting future and existing educators to reach their potential. We are honored to help deserving students like Meagan, Vickie, Annalise, and Aline as they pursue careers in teaching.”
Each year, Education.com awards $45,000 in scholarships to exemplary high school, undergraduate, and graduate students working toward education-related degrees. Details about each scholarship and how to apply can be found at https://www.education.com/scholarships/. The next application deadline is January 1, 2020.
ABOUT EDUCATION.COM
Over 20 million teachers and parents worldwide have joined Education.com since we launched our early learning platform in 2015. Our curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across Math, Reading, Writing, ELA, Science, and more. Education.com is designed with flexibility, so it can be tailored to every child’s unique interests and needs. Parents and teachers can follow our guidance step-by-step, create their own curriculum, or deep-dive into specific areas with more than 30,000 games, worksheets, activities, and lessons.
For additional information about the Education.com Scholarship Program, please visit https://www.education.com/scholarships/
