KEARNEY – Forty students will receive full-tuition scholarships to attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney as members of the Teachers Scholars Academy.
These recent high school graduates represent 33 communities in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas. Their average ACT score is 23.5 and their average high school GPA was 3.87.
“Students selected to the Teachers Scholars Academy are part of an elite group,” said academy coordinator Emily DeVall. “Their passion, energy and hard work are noted across campus and in the community.”
In its second year, the Teachers Scholars Academy was created to make college more affordable for prospective educators and grow the teacher workforce in Nebraska. The program is open to incoming freshmen majoring in education.
More than 100 candidates applied for this year’s cohort. An admissions and scholarship committee selects the 40 scholars based on academic achievements, interviews and other prerequisites.
Each student selected for the Teachers Scholars Academy receives a scholarship covering their full tuition – up to 120 credit hours – plus $8,000 annually for education expenses such as housing, books and food. At today’s tuition per credit hour at UNK, the scholarship package is worth roughly $57,000 over four years.
Students also receive academic support through the academy, which is funded by donations.
The academy is fashioned as a learning community, with students taking certain classes together, sharing common experiences and working alongside each other. A final research project or capstone experience will also be collaborative, with students working in teams to present at a conference, seminar or workshop. Other enrichment and experiential learning activities include guest lectures, volunteer work and mentorships.
All 40 students from the inaugural Teachers Scholars Academy cohort are returning to UNK this fall, giving the program a 100% retention rate. Sophomore students will serve as mentors for the incoming freshmen.
“I’m excited to continue supporting these students as they pursue their academic dreams at UNK,” DeVall said.
More information on the Teachers Scholars Academy can be found at unk.edu/futureteachers.
NEW MEMBERS
The following students, listed by hometown, were selected for UNK’s Teachers Scholars Academy:
NEBRASKA
Arapahoe – Keziah Goshert
Blair – Lyndsay Rahlfs
Bridgeport – Falen Jeffries
Burwell – NeLeigh Owens
Butte – Heather Atkinson
Cambridge – Cali Gunderson
Clay Center – Noah Okraska
Columbus – Ryan Sims
Cozad – Raegen Fleharty
Elwood – Makenzie Clouse
Gering – Talera Kinsey
Gothenburg – Jaycee Stupka
Grand Island – Jayda Andersen and Luke Hoos
Gretna – Kayla Nunnenkamp
Humphrey – Aidan Weidner
Kearney – Michaela Becker, Zachariah DeLoach and Adison Wood
Lincoln – Trevor Acton, Ty Donovan and Laura Konz
McCool Junction – Chelse Hornbacher
Newman Grove – Jenna Preister
Norfolk – Kenneth Mitchell
North Platte – Nolan Benjamin
Omaha – Meg Meeske and Emily Sheehy
O’Neill – Chloe Scott
Phillips – Elli Steenson
Ravenna – Ryan Johnson
Seward – Tatum Criner and Kenna Piskorski
Sidney – Tia Pritchard
Sumner – Sidney Ripp
Waverly – Stephanie Elder
Wayne – Kayla Fleming
OUT OF STATE
Atwood, Kansas – Daisy Hawkins
Holyoke, Colorado – Emily Jelden
Monument, Colorado – Katie Cornelio
