Education Department

Student Highlights

DKG Scholarship Awardee

Congratulations to credential candidate Hallie Campos on being awarded the DKG scholarship for 2021! DKG is an international organization which promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Among other initiatives, it offers opportunities in leadership advancement, like grants for pursuing advanced degrees, and in activism supporting our goals. In fact, DKG is a non-governmental member of the U.N., consulting on the economic/social community.  And each year it distributes $3 million in scholarships, grants and project support.

Clifford Wellington Scholarship Awardees

Congratulations to credential candidates Jennifer Schlerf (pictured), Robert Ly and Beatrice Boza on receiving the Clifford Wellington scholarship! The Clifford Wellington Memorial Foundation and Scholarship Fund is a collaborative effort of the Walnut Valley Unified School District and the Education Department at Cal Poly Pomona. The scholarship has been established to identify and develop strong new teachers for the Walnut Unified School District. The purpose of the award is to encourage and provide partial monetary support to students of high academic ability who demonstrate the personal qualities, interpersonal skills, and potential for teaching competence that are identified by relevant research and professional practice as essential to be effective as teachers of students from multi-ethnic, multilingual, and multicultural backgrounds.

CSU Microsoft Scholarship Awardees

Congratulations to the following students who received the Chancellor’s Office CSU Microsoft Scholarship Awards: Andrew Diaz, Li-Hsin Chien, Damary Ayala, Jazmine Garcia, and Rachel Reyes. The CSU Microsoft Scholarship Program was established for CSU credential students. The scholarship is designed to serve candidates in CSU single-subject mathematics or science teacher preparation programs and is available to those committed to teaching in a high-need school for at least two years. The scholarship recognizes candidates who demonstrate a financial need and have attributes of merit, including excellent academic performance, significant personal achievements and community service.

PIE 2021 Fellows

Partners in Education (PIE) is a coalition of academic and community leaders dedicated to advocating for quality education and educational development at Cal Poly Pomona and surrounding communities. Each year, PIE provides fellowships of up to $4,000 each to support students during clinical practice.    

PIE 2021 Fellows

Damiane Riggs

Congratulations to Damiane Riggs who was named Rookie of the Year in Glendora Unified School District and who is a Moderate/Severe Education Specialist Intern.

Damiane joined the Glendora Unified School District this past August after serving as a substitute teacher, making an immediate impact.  As one of the first Special Education teachers to return to in-person instruction in October, Damiane demonstrated the flexibility and creativity to provide her students with an amazing experience.

"I could never have imagined my first year of teaching going this well, and I know I owe that to having incredible support from Cal Poly, my supervisor Rita Donato, and also my incredible professors. I also have the most supportive and encouraging classroom aides, students, and parents. The saying really is true that it takes a village!"

Congratulations, Damiane. The Education Department at Cal Poly Pomona is extremely proud of your dedication to your students and the impact you will continue to make for the teaching profession.

Ashley Dorsey

Congratulations to Ashley Carlson Dorsey on receiving two DKG scholarships in 2020 and 2021!

Ashley completed her Clinical Practice in Sp’20. During her clinical-practice semester, at the beginning of the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was approached by the principal of the school to serve as a long-term substitute teacher for another class. Ashley joyfully accepted upon the support of her university supervisor, Dr. Cynthia Geary, and the Education department.

Dr. Geary said, “It was my privilege to be witness to her creativity and use of technology to teach and care for the students.  In her community there was a large parent population of health care workers, so a majority of the students were cared for by their grandparents.  She made countless technology tutorials that walked grandparents through the multiple steps of apps and logins.  Her lessons were tailored to specific students, and she remained joyful throughout the Clinical Practice experience. She also returned to Texas as the lock down continued and got married without skipping a beat in her instruction.”

DKG is an international organization which promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Among other initiatives, it offers opportunities in leadership advancement, like grants for pursuing advanced degrees, and in activism supporting our goals. In fact, DKG is a non-governmental member of the U.N., consulting on the economic/social community.  And each year it distributes $3 million in scholarships, grants and project support.