Teaching fellows announced in Lansing include 12 headed for WMU
by Cheryl Roland
May 12, 2011 | WMU News
Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellow
KALAMAZOO--A metallurgical engineer with 15 years of industry experience and a minister with a background in anatomy and physiology are among 12 people who will begin their studies at Western Michigan University soon as part of a statewide initiative to prepare and place top-quality new math and science teachers in Michigan's public schools.
A dozen students headed to WMU are among recipients of the highly competitive W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowships announced today in a ceremony in Gov. Rick Snyder's office at the Capitol.
WMU is one of six Michigan universities invited to recruit both recent college graduates and those seeking a different career for three-year fellowships designed to attract promising educators with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics--known as STEM disciplines. Fellows receive $30,000 to pursue a customized master's degree program that prepares them to teach in high-need urban or rural secondary schools in seven local districts across the state.
The inaugural class of WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows who will study at WMU includes newly minted college graduates from colleges across Michigan as well as veteran science professionals who earned their degrees around the nation and as long ago as 1979.
The Battle Creek, Mich.-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched the statewide fellowship program in 2009 with $18 million in support. Sterling Speirn, president and CEO of the Kellogg Foundation, joined Gov. Rick Snyder and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation President Arthur Levine in announcing the inaugural class of fellows. The fellows were selected from a highly competitive pool of 1,500 applicants hailing from a variety of experiences and former careers in math- and science-related fields.
Loretta Vaara of Holland, Mich., says she's a perfect example of the kind of career change the fellowships make possible. She has a mathematics degree from WMU, an MBA from Wayne State University and a track record as an engineer and project manager in the automotive industry. She was also ready to return to the work force after time off to focus on her family.
"Teaching was always in the back of my mind, even in college," Vaara says. "But I knew what a teacher did and I wanted to try something different. I loved my career, and in hindsight, I know it will make me a better teacher. I was a math major in college and ended up in engineering and project management--areas I didn't even consider in high school. I'll be able to tell students about the career paths that will open up for them with a technical background."
Gov. Rick Snyder and WMU teaching fellow Travis Smith
At WMU, the program will be a strong field-based effort focused on preparing teachers for work in urban settings. The University has partnered with two large school districts--Benton Harbor Area Schools and Kalamazoo Public Schools--to ensure fellows have a wealth of experience in the classroom.
The fellowship program at WMU will lead to certification in mathematics, chemistry and physics. Certification will be earned during the first year, and the program will ultimately lead to a master's degree.
Fellows, who will begin their studies in the coming weeks, make a three-year commitment to teach in one of Michigan's high-need districts as part of the fellowship program. The first cohort of fellows will seek teaching positions for fall 2012 employment. Through the fellowship program and during their first three years of teaching, they will receive intensive support and mentoring to encourage them to continue their professional development and work with Michigan youth.
The WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows who will study at WMU are:
- Shanda Bennett of Wyoming, Mich. She is a 2009 graduate of Grand Valley State University who majored in cell and molecular biology and was involved in undergraduate research on orchid embryos. She is a certified phlebotomist.
- Karen Deppe of Marshall, Mich. She is a 1979 graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in metallurgical engineering. She has 15 years of experience in a laboratory and manufacturing environment and has been a volunteer math tutor and teaching assistant in three schools as well as a substitute teacher.
- Mark Garrod of Lansing, Mich. He is a 2011 graduate of Michigan State University with a major in mathematics and a track record as a college teaching assistant and a volunteer coach for high school quiz bowl and Science Olympiad teams. He also has taught English as a second language.
- Helen Hale of Kalamazoo. She is a 1988 graduate of Mississippi Valley State University who majored in biology and has experience as a laboratory technician. She is the director of a childcare center and youth program and has been working with young people for more than 15 years.
- Sarah Jenzen of Grosse Pointe, Mich. She is scheduled to graduate in June from Kalamazoo College with a degree in mathematics and psychology. She has been a peer consultant in K College's Math and Physics Center, a math mentor and an elementary school math tutor.
- Melanie Kapolka of Pleasant Ridge, Mich. She is a 2011 graduate of Albion College who majored in biology and minored in chemistry. She has been a teaching assistant for an introductory biology lab, a coach and swim instructor, and a community volunteer.
- Mitchell Overway of Holland, Mich. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in health sciences from Grand Valley State University in 1988 and 1990, respectively. He is a full-time minister who works with at-risk teens and adults and has been a teaching assistant, tutor, and lab instructor in human anatomy and physiology as well as a youth coach.
- Onika Powell of Kalamazoo. She is a 2006 graduate of the University of Florida who majored in microbiology. She has been a clinical researcher and lab mycologist as well as an elementary school tutor, a chemistry teaching assistant and a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
- Travis Smith of Kalamazoo and Greensboro, N.C.. He is a 2010 graduate of Kalamazoo College who has a degree in mathmatics. Fluent in Spanish, he has been an assistant high school math teacher in Ecuador, an algebra camp counselor and a pre-calculus tutor for high-need students and a study host for the Caribbean Society of Kalamazoo.
- Trevor Stefanick of Kalamazoo. He is a 2004 WMU alumnus who has just completed a master's degree in physics, also from WMU. He has served as a part-time faculty member at both WMU and Kalamazoo Valley Community College and as a theatre volunteer with high-risk high school students.
- Kerry Steinke of Kalamazoo. She is a 2009 WMU alumna who majored in biomedical sciences and Spanish and minored in chemistry. She has been a lab technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working on plum pox virus, and a quality control lab technician at Perrigo, testing finished products.
- Loretta Vaara of Holland, Mich. She is a 1988 alumna of WMU who majored in mathematics, and she earned an MBA at Wayne State University in 1994. She is a former program manager, quality engineer and systems engineer for the automotive industry and is an active volunteer with school and community youth.
The first round of fellowship recipients also included a WMU alumnus who will go to the University of Michigan for his fellowship work. Richard Ostrowski of Byron, Mich., is a 2009 WMU graduate who majored in anthropology and environmental studies.
In addition to WMU and the U of M, other Michigan universities hosting WWKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows are Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University and Wayne State University. The universities are partnering with seven public school districts.
The inaugural 2011 fellowship competition generated some 48,000 inquiries and more than 1,500 applications. The selection process included initial screening, a full-day of interviews driven by a team of veteran STEM researchers and an admissions review process by the partner universities.