Hattie Strong scholarships awarded to education students
Six students in Radford University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) teacher preparation program have each been awarded $5,000 scholarships from the Hattie M. Strong Foundation.
CEHD and Hattie M. Strong Foundation representatives honored the recipients at a ceremony held April 19 in Peters Hall.
Scholarships are awarded annually to students who are student-teaching during the fall and spring semesters. Recipients are:
· Matthew Akers – Middle School Education
· Julia Coppinger – Elementary Education
· Meg DeLapp – Elementary Education
· Autum Dishmon – Elementary Education
· Kaitlyn Hughes – Special Education
· Christina Simpson – Art Education
Coppinger and Simpson graduated in December 2017. All other scholars are scheduled to graduate in May.
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 teaching career.
Preference is given to applicants who have a demonstrated record of "helping others help themselves."
At the ceremony, students delivered emotional presentations about their student-teaching and life experiences, and each expressed heart-felt appreciation to the Hattie M. Strong Foundation.
“Through your thoughtfulness and generosity, you have not only helped me to reach my goals and dreams for my future, but you have bettered the education of my students in the surrounding community,” Hughes said about her Strong scholarship. “I thank you for inspiring me and the students I hold so dear to my heart. I am overwhelmed with your kindness.”
Robin Tanner represented the Hattie M. Strong Foundation at the ceremony. She commended the students for their hard work and achievements and applauded faculty for their dedication to educating the soon-to-be teachers.
Tanner informed the scholarship recipients about their eligibility for the Strong Foundation’s Bobbie Fund, which provides classroom supplies up to $500 in value to enhance learning in the classrooms.
“Each and every student is unique in their own way, and I have no doubt they will all make great educators,” Tanner said. “They have been taught and mentored by the best, and I feel certain they will not disappoint. It shows not only their appreciation of our funding but also the respect they have for the university.”
The Hattie M. Strong Foundation was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1928. Its primary activity is the administration of a scholarship program and a grant program.
The Foundation made the first gift to Radford University in 2012 and, to date, has given $170,000 to support student teachers.
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.
Strong overcame challenges through her high energy, range of interests 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.