PIE Celebrates 15 Years of Sponsoring Future Teachers
Partners in Education (PIE) awarded more than $90,000 in fellowship funds to 23 credential students during its 15th anniversary celebration on Feb. 18.
Each year, PIE provides fellowships of up to $4,000 to help relieve financial burdens for teacher candidates engaged in full-time student teaching while also being required to attend evening courses at Cal Poly Pomona.
The fellowship funds are sponsored by the PIE board, many of whom are CPP alumni and former faculty, as well as campus administrators, businesses, local organizations, former campus presidents and their spouses and the College of Education and Integrative Studies.
“I would like to thank the PIE board for selecting me as a PIE fellow, said Jazmine Garcia. “As a future earth science teacher, I am so excited to share my love of the environment with my future students, and hopefully instill in them that same love for the outdoors. It will be one of my greatest joys in life to help build the next generation of kind, intelligent and outside-of-the-box, critical thinkers. I can’t wait to get into my own classroom and do exactly that.”
In order to be selected for the award, teacher candidates completed an online application and participated in a panel interview with members of the PIE board of directors. This year, a total of 54 applications were received.
“I am passionate about becoming an adapted physical education teacher and making a lifelong impact on elementary students with disabilities,” said Victor Celaya, a PIE recipient. “I want to teach in this age group because I believe that I can apply a unique approach to teach students that cannot be verbally or visually reached. My appreciation goes out to the PIE board and its donors for helping me to achieve my educational goals. It is an honor to be selected as a PIE fellow.”
Since its inception, the PIE Fellowship program has awarded more than 200 fellowships and raised over $1 million to support future teachers.
“The PIE board is proud to provide these fellowships,” said Sue Johnson, PIE board chairperson. “We can't emphasize enough what a wonderful opportunity this fellowship is for our recipients. It will make the difference between a recipient continuing his/her education and completing the credential program or not. It will make the difference between our recipients fulfilling their dreams of becoming teachers or not. It will make a difference for countless children who will be influenced by each of our recipients for years to come. We may never know how many lives we will impact with these fellowship awards, but for those recipients and the children they will teach, their lives will be forever changed. The 216 recipients who have received these awards over the past 15 years are already changing the world, one child at a time.”
This year’s recipients include:
Joselinne Basilio, single subject Spanish
Margaret Bwogi, single subject math
Emily Carlin, multiple subject
Jazzeyla Castillo, single subject math
Victor Celaya, single subject physical ed., added authorization in adapted physical ed.
Aracely Diaz, multiple subject
Nicholas Escobedo, single subject physical ed., added authorization in adapted physical ed.
Jazmine Garcia, single subject science
Ruby Garcia, single subject Spanish
Marina Girgis, single subject math
Amalia Gonzalez-Santana, single subject Spanish
Analia Jimenez, multiple subject
Jean Kim, single subject math
Sydney Leath, multiple subject
Rita Leger, single subject math
Robert Ly, single subject science
Nina Nwarueze, single subject biological sciences
Steven Orrick, single subject biology
Luis Antonio Pachecano Orozco, single subject social science
Nancy Pena, education specialist
Stephany Salazar, single subject Spanish
Gina Tenorio, multiple subject
Olivia Tougas, single subject math
To learn more about PIE and opportunities to get involved, please visit https://www.cpp.edu/ceis/partners-in-education/get-involved.shtml.