Hattie M. Strong scholarship recipients announced

Six Radford University students in the College of Education and Human Development teacher preparation program have been awarded $5,000 scholarships from the Hattie M. Strong Foundation.

Recipients were honored at a ceremony held April 22, in Peters Hall.

The scholarships go to students who are student-teaching during the fall and spring semesters. The six scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year are the most given to RU students since the relationship between RU and the Hattie M. Strong Foundation began in 2012.

This year, one scholarship was awarded in the fall of 2013 to Ginny Smith, an elementary education major.

Five scholarships were awarded in the spring of 2014 to:

• Sarah Dyer, a secondary English education major from Herndon
   
• Michael "Joe" Edwards, a health and physical education major from Pulaski
   
• Jenna Gregory, a middle school education major from Wytheville
   
• Maggie Ramseyer, an elementary education major from Abingdon
   
• Amber Weyland, a secondary English education major from Hopewell

Recipients of the Hattie M. Strong scholarship must have GPAs of 3.0 or better for the two semesters prior to student teaching, exhibit outstanding success and enthusiasm in previous field experiences, show strong leadership skills and demonstrate financial need. The recipients must also intend to pursue a career in teaching. Preference is given to applicants who have a demonstrated record of "helping others help themselves."

At the ceremony, each of the scholarship recipients was introduced by a faculty mentor. The students later delivered brief presentations about their student-teaching experiences. Speaking of their scholarships, each expressed heart-felt appreciation to the Hattie M. Strong Foundation.

Robin Tanner, executive director at the Hattie M. Strong Foundation, congratulated the recipients during the ceremony and remarked on their energy and excitement for entering the teaching profession. "There are going to be some lucky kids in your classrooms," Tanner said.

The Hattie M. Strong Foundation was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1928. Its primary activity is administering loan programs for U.S. college students.

Hattie M. Strong, for whom the foundation is named, was born in 1864. She supported herself and her son by creating a combination hospital and hotel for gold miners in Alaska. She overcame challenges through her high energy, range of interest and ingenuity. To provide for herself and her son, she held a number of positions, including nurse, physician's assistant, ticket agent and supervisor of a men's club. In 1905, she married Henry Alvah Strong, the first president of Eastman Kodak Co., and dedicated the rest of her life to helping the less fortunate.