Gamma Xi Chapter Foundation names two grant winners
The Gamma Xi Chapter Foundation for Educational Pursuits is pleased to announce 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 Gamma Xi Chapter Foundation for Educational Pursuits 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 $70,000 dollars in monetary support to young women, residing in the Elgin Area School District U-46 and Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 attendance areas, who are on career paths leading to teacher certification. Since the foundation's first grants in 2010, the foundation has assisted 12 high school students in reaching their goals of becoming educators.
This year, two grant recipients were selected.
Rhianna Christensen from Bartlett High School will be majoring in elementary education at Illinois State University. She has always enjoyed school and loved children. She worked hard at school even when facing her reading disability. "My elementary school provided me with a lot of avenues of help for my reading disability. Teachers took extra time to evaluate my reading level. They found appropriate materials to help me develop and fine tune my reading skills." She was involved in many programs including teaching and learning, which lead to her appreciation and admiration of their work.
Abigail DeDina from Hampshire High School plans to major in agriculture education with a minor in science at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. "I want to be able to run a Future Farmers of America program and help students understand the impact that agriculture has not only on the environment but also how it impacts businesses and communities. All my life, agriculture has had a strong influence on the person I have become. My hope in studying agriculture education is that I can help develop the same passion for agriculture in other people."
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.