C of C’s School of Education Announces Goizueta Foundation Scholarship Recipients

September 25, 2002

The College of Charleston School of Education has announced the 2002-2003 Goizueta Foundation Reach to Teach Scholarship recipients. These five individuals, chosen for their commitment to South Carolina schools and children, will receive $4,000 a year for up to three years to complete their education degrees at the College of Charleston. The recipients are Laurie Dennis, Milita Johnson, Celeste Monette, Dawn Monroe, and Jacqueline Villinger. Ruth Cohen will serve as their mentor.

“In a time when we face a critical shortage of teachers, I am thrilled that The Goizueta Foundation is providing support for outstanding individuals who are already committed to schools and children,” said Dr. Frances Welch, dean of the School of Education, on awarding the scholarships.

Each of these individuals has at least three years of experience in local schools and a strong desire to help children learn. Dennis, who has worked at Spann Elementary for the past seven years as a teacher’s assistant, also serves as the chair of the award-winning business education partnership program and social committee at her school. “I am committed to being a lifelong learner and plan to spend the next 30 years influencing the lives of young children as I ‘Teach to Reach’ hundreds of students,” she said.

Similarly, Johnson has a strong dedication to teaching. “I personally believe that teaching is not just a job or a profession; it’s an extension of a person and a gift to others in helping them to achieve,” she said. Johnson has worked for the past two years as a teacher’s assistant at Windsor Hill Elementary School.

Monette has also worked as a teacher’s assistant and substitute teacher at James Island Middle School. Through substituting, she realized the impact that she was making on her students. “As a substitute I was making an impression for today and tomorrow, but as a teacher I will make an impact forever,” the native Charlestonian said.

Monroe also hopes to make an impact on the future through her work with children with learning disabilities. She is currently working at Fort Dorchester High School in a self-contained learning disabilities classroom and hopes to obtain her master’s in special education in the fall of 2003.

Villinger, a teaching assistant at Knightsville Elementary, says she enjoys approaching teaching creatively from a non-traditional perspective. “I have seen, with great satisfaction, that students make gains in their abilities and their test scores when they are taught with lots of enthusiasm, creativity, and attention,” the mother of two said.

The Goizueta Foundation, established by the late Roberto C. Goizueta in 1992, awarded the College funding for these scholarships. The Reach to Teach Scholars began taking classes as early as summer 2002. Five additional Goizueta Foundation Reach to Teach scholarships will be awarded for Spring 2003. Recipients are expected to teach for each year of their scholarship.

The College of Charleston School of Education is dedicated to recruiting and retaining effective teacher candidates for South Carolina’s classrooms. For more information on its programs, visit on the web at www.cofc.edu/SchoolofEducation or call (843) 953-5613.

Contact:Virginia Friedman
VP for Strategic Communications
(843) 953-8171
friedmanv@cofc.edu