Gamma Xi Chapter Foundation awards grants to two South Elgin High students
The Gamma Xi Chapter Foundation for Educational Pursuits recently announced the selection of two recipients for their recruitment grants. Each recipient will receive $4,750, which will be awarded over her four years of college as long as she remains in education.
The foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity formed by members of the Gamma Xi Chapter of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, which is an honorary educational society for women educators.
This foundation has provided almost $150,000 dollars in monetary support to young women, residing in the U-46 and D300 attendance areas, who are on career paths leading to teacher certification. Since the foundation's first grants in 2010, the foundation has assisted 38 high school students in reaching their goals of becoming educators.
This year two grant recipients were selected:
• Piper Engel, from South Elgin High School, will be majoring in elementary bilingual education at Illinois State University. "I have been part of the Dual Language program since kindergarten. This was such a positive experience because as a student I grew in my connections with people of different cultures. It made my learning more enjoyable and being able to create a classroom filled with creativity and passion is something I look forward to."
• Lillian Seifrid, from South Elgin High School, plans to major in elementary education. "I want to be that teacher that teaches a child a love for reading and literacy. I want to see their face light up when they read their first word or when they read that first book. I know it's not always rainbows and butterflies, it can be emotional at times. At the end of the day the children and their faces are what matter most."
Monies for these grant opportunities are received from the EFS Foundation, the Gamma Xi Chapter, bequests, memorials and/or honorariums from local donors, and various individual supporters. Anyone interested in supporting the foundation in its mission of Funding Tomorrow's Educators Today may contact Karen Phillips at kphillips51@sbcglobal.net.