ATLANTA – Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, honored Georgia State University’s ongoing commitment to close the achievement gap and provide all students with high-quality teachers, recognizing the 2017-2018 class of Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows at the State Capitol.
The 12 students enrolling this year in Georgia State’s College of Education & Human Development join the 159 teachers total who have been prepared through the WW Georgia Teaching Fellowship program at five higher education institutions across the state: Columbus State University, Georgia State, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University and Piedmont College.
The highly competitive fellowship program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to lead classes in the state’s high-need secondary schools.
Each fellow receives $30,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master’s degree program based on a year-long classroom experience. In return, fellows commit to teach for three years in the urban and rural Georgia schools that most need strong STEM teachers. Throughout the three-year commitment, fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.
“Sandra and I are honored to welcome this third class of Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows into the program,” Deal said. “Georgia has earned many accolades over the past several years, and none of them would be possible or sustainable without our leaders in the classroom. This program creates a pipeline of dedicated math and science teachers to the schools that need them the most, and we wish the best of luck to this year’s class.”
Through the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation will contribute to the University System of Georgia’s initiative to produce 20,000 new teachers by 2020. Woodrow Wilson is administering the program, with in-state coordination by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and support from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Current project funding is $13.7 million.
For more information about the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship, visit https://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-teaching-fellowships.
2017-2018 Woodrow Wilson Fellows at Georgia State University
[accordion][item title="John Alberts"]Groton, Mass.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Georgia Institute of Technology ’16, biomedical engineering
Tutor, elementary school; intern, chemical and pharmaceutical profiling; volunteer, campus career development organization for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; hospitality team, church.[/item]
[item title="Kireon Bunkley-Hill"]Atlanta, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Emory University ’17, neuroscience and behavioral biology
Member and captain, multiple dance teams; founder, campus chapter of National Council of Negro Women; undergraduate researcher, retinas and proteins in primary visual cortex; volunteer coordinator, conference for Black activism on campus; recipient, multiple academic scholarships.[/item]
[item title="Monica Cooper"]Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania
Graduate institution and degree: West University ‘07, M.A., family and couple counseling; Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy ’01, M.D., general medicine
Substitute teacher, K–12, biology and French; private tutor, math and French; volunteer, teen dating violence program; avid community volunteer; fluent speaker of multiple languages; former physician.[/item]
[item title="Victoria Doctor"]Decatur, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Spelman College ’16, mathematics
Member, service organizations for early education in underresourced communities and urban schools; university student ambassador; undergraduate researcher; teaching assistant, project teaching eighth-grade students a different way to learn algebra; high school provisional educator.[/item]
[item title="Felicia Goldsmith"]Oceanside, N.Y.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Tulane University ’08, cell and molecular biology
Graduate institution and degree: Louisiana State University ’10, M.S., molecular nutrition; ’14, Ph.D., molecular nutrition
Teaching assistant, instructor, nutrition science; tutor, chemistry and biology; graduate researcher, colonic fermentation of cereal grains and its effects on the pathophysiology of obesity and diabetes; postdoctoral fellow, botanical approaches to combat metabolic syndrome; volunteer science fair judge.[/item]
[item title="Rebecca Morrissey"]Marietta, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Georgia Institute of Technology ’17, biochemistry
Coordinator and curriculum writer, freshman leadership program; director, freshmen orientation experience; trip leader and instructor, sea kayaking; undergraduate researcher, decisions processing and drug capsule systems; data analytics intern; laboratory technician.[/item]
[item title="Janeé Nealey"]Hinesville, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Georgia State University ’15, biological science
Lab participant, multiple scientific studies; site leader, federal program focused on child welfare outside of school; honors college graduate; member, youth organization utilizing social media to build community engagement in social justice dialogue; community volunteer.[/item]
[item title="Michael Peterson"]Kansas City, Mo.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: University of Missouri — Kansas City ’83, mathematics
Graduate institution and degree: University of Missouri — Kansas City ’89, M.A., economics; Colorado Technical University ’13, D.M., environmental and social sustainability
Adjunct and visiting professor, 10+ years; vice chairman, housing authority; state university board advisor; director, religious transformation center; published writer and presenter, national and international business conferences and seminars.[/item]
[item title="Elizabeth Quinche"]Smyrna, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: University of Georgia ’15, mathematics
Math tutor; volunteer, middle school Science Olympiad team; undergraduate teaching assistant, pre-calculus; volunteer math tutor; scholarship recipient; international music fraternity member; university marching band member.[/item]
[item title="Morgen Ricketts"]Woodbine, Md.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Washington College ’17, chemistry
Teaching assistant, general chemistry; tutor, college-level calculus, statistics, and chemistry; member, chemistry honor society; volunteer, campus chemistry club; captain, club field hockey.[/item]
[item title="Jared Siler"]Douglasville, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: University of West Georgia ’17, mathematics
Tutor, mathematics; student assistant, curriculum development and implementation for visiting teachers, education department; clinical assistant, classroom instruction and evaluation for multiple grade levels; volunteer, food bank; youth pastor; U.S. Army veteran.[/item]
[item title="Hannah Tompkins"]Woodstock, Ga.
Undergraduate college, class, and major: Berry College ’15, environmental science
Graduate institution and degree: Kennesaw State University ’17, M.S., integrative biology
Graduate researcher, aquatic ecology; graduate teaching assistant, biology; undergraduate researcher, aquatic biology; published author; outdoor summer camp counselor, 4th and 5th grade; science and math tutor, middle and high school; volunteer leader, high school youth group; certified scuba diver.[/item][/accordion]