A baker's dozen of Fresno Pacific University teacher education students have been awarded $20,000 scholarships in a state program to draw new educators to the schools that need them most.
Victoria Cochran, Jill Drenon, Beth Isgrig, Helen Khala, Jason Maresh and Jodi Van Dyk, all Fresno; Sofia Cook, Marianna Evans and Leticia Sullivant, all Visalia; Patricia Edwards, Porterville; Marla Ernest, Lindsay; Bethany Micari, Tulare; and Darlene Wafford, Armona; earned Governor's Teaching Fellowships. Last year, in the program's debut, 10 FPU students were among the 250 students statewide who received the grants.
The fellowship, part of California Governor Gray Davis' education program, awards $20,000 to full time students preparing to teach in low performance schools in California for four years. The fellowship was designed to help recipients pay for education and living expenses. Recipients must be enrolled in an accredited California college/university teacher education program.
Fresno Pacific University is an accredited Christian university included in U.S. News & World Report's college guide. Located on a 42-acre, park-like campus in southeast Fresno, FPU has an enrollment of 1,800 students—half in graduate and half in undergraduate programs. The university also enrolls 12,000 students annually in its professional development studies programs offered locally and throughout the world.