Camarillo, Calif., July 31, 2013 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) student Shane Rogers is the winner of one of 30 teaching scholarships awarded statewide this year by the California Retired Teachers Association’s Laura E. Settle Scholarship Foundation.
Rogers, 28, from Oxnard, is working to complete a single subject teaching credential in English from CI’s School of Education this fall.
“I feel honored and humbled to be chosen for this scholarship,” Rogers said. “My goal is to become a middle or high school English teacher and to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I want to be seen as a compassionate leader who can help them develop and attain their own goals at this formative period in their lives.”
After graduating from UC San Diego in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in literature, Rogers became a substitute teacher in several Oxnard schools, teaching students ranging from kindergarten through post-secondary education.
While earning his credential at CI, Rogers worked as a student teacher at Rio Mesa High School, where he helped teach College Preparatory English and a remedial English class designed to strengthen literacy among struggling English language learners.
“The appreciation I receive as a teacher after helping a student come to a new understanding of a concept is extremely satisfying and rewarding,” Rogers said.
The $3,000 scholarship will enable Rogers to focus on his final semester of full-time studies without the need to work or take out loans.
“I have enjoyed my time at CI, and feel that I have learned a great deal about what it takes to plan effective lessons and assess student progress,” Rogers said. “The program has effectively trained me and my future colleagues to understand and teach students from a variety of socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds.”
The Laura E. Settle Foundation was established in the early 1950s in memory of the California Retired Teachers Association’s (CalRTA) primary founder and first president. Settle, a retired Pasadena teacher, oversaw the creation of CalRTA in 1929 and established its reputation as the primary protector of teachers’ pensions. Scholarships in her name are awarded annually to 30 promising future teachers from CSU and UC campuses. Recipients of the scholarship must provide academic transcripts, a personal essay and letters of recommendation.
For more information on CI’s School of Education, visit http://education.csuci.edu/. To learn more about the CalRTA Laura E. Settle Scholarship, visit http://calrta.org/explore-calrta/scholarship/.
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.