Two from Trine among scholarship recipients

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has awarded 200 scholarships to the second class of Next Generation Hoosier Educators. The recipients, selected through a competitive process based on academic achievement and other factors, will receive $7,500 annually (up to $30,000 total) for committing to teach in Indiana for at least five years after graduating college.

Among the students awarded were Kennedy Brough, a Trine University sophomore from Fort Wayne, Indiana, majoring in English Education, and Elisabeth Cole, a graduate of Central Noble Jr/Sr High School from Albion, Indiana, who plans to attend Trine this fall.

“We’re encouraged to have so many driven, passionate students applying for this teacher scholarship, and we look forward to the positive impact they will have in classrooms and school communities across Indiana,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers.

A total of 510 students applied for the 2018-19 Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, with applications coming from 231 high schools in 86 of the Indiana’s 92 counties. About two-thirds of applicants were Indiana high school seniors with the remainder comprised of current college students.

“Teachers are incredibly influential in students’ lives, which makes a career in education both challenging and rewarding,” said House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis), author of the legislation creating the scholarship. “It is my hope these scholarship recipients will use their dedication, creativity and compassion to help Hoosier students realize their full potential.”

To qualify for the scholarship, students had to either graduate in the highest 20 percent of their high school class or earn a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT. To continue earning the scholarship in college, students must earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours per year.