13 Future Teachers Earn $20,000 Fellowships

Thirteen CSUS students are among the first 250 recipients of the Governor's Teaching Fellowship, a new program to recruit teachers for low-performing schools.

The merit-based program provides $20,000 to students who agree to earn their teaching credential and teach in a low-performing school for four years. It is part of an overall effort by the state to recruit as many as 300,000 teachers over the next decade.

The program is administered by the CSU Chancellor's Office and is intended to cover the students' education expenses and cost of living while they complete a teaching credential program. Gov. Gray Davis' budget earmarks $20 million to fund a total of 1,000 fellowships by this fall.

"When I see these kids in low-performing schools, my heart just goes out to them," says Aman Kang, one of the CSUS recipients. "I want to help them see that success is possible for them, too."

Kang, who lives in Davis, plans to teach social science in high school. She is now a student-teacher at Florin High School.

"This was something I wanted to do anyway," says Kristy Smith, another CSUS recipient. "You go into teaching to make an impact on students' lives, and these schools are where you can do that the most."

Smith, a Sacramento resident, is student-teaching in a sixth-grade classroom at Mariemont Elementary School.

In addition to Kang and Smith, CSUS students receiving fellowship funding are: Chelsea Bowler, Christine Carter, Kellie Fisher, Judi Romanini, Lai Lee, Jennifer Shargel, Gregory Sloan, Jennifer Sparks, Yee Vang, Jed Larsen and Maribell Arellano.

More information is available by contacting the Governor's Teaching Fellowship at (866) 824-7335 or visit http://www.teacher-fellowship.calstate.edu/.
.

#####

For further information send E-Mail to infodesk@csus.edu or contact
Public Affairs (916) 278-6156.

Index of Stories

Return to CSUS Home Page