Scholarship Student Letters to the Graduate School of Education

Oregon faces a significant shortage of special education and math/science teachers. Thanks to scholarship support from generous donors, the students quoted below will soon be in the classroom helping to meet this critical need.

"I feel elated and honored to receive one of your scholarships. Opening the letter beginning with "Congratulations!" filled me with pride. I sat in the car and whooped and hollered, waking up my boys who had been sleeping in their car seats. At home I read the letter at least a half dozen times and then began making phone calls. I have now shared the news with family and friends, who understand full well the significance of this award in my life.

I have just finished the first week of my graduate program and I love it. I can hardly wait to get into the classroom as a special education teacher and live my dream. My desire is to help others realize their inner strengths and believe that, with a strong mind and spirit, there are no limitations. Thank you so much for supporting this dream of mine."

—Kate Mackaness

"No written description of my great relief and gratitude would be sufficient. As you may well know, providing for the cost of one's education in addition to the costs of living is a challenge for any student.

As an immigrant who has been living in the U.S. for less than two years, I consider myself a very lucky person despite my hard work toward achieving my dreams. I have made my way from not knowing English to gaining proficiency in it to getting a job in education and getting accepted into a graduate program.

I have seen a picture in my mind. It is a classroom. I look two years older and the students sitting in front of me range from 14-20 years old. They all feel safe—the Mexicans, the Africans, the Vietnamese, the Bosnians and the Americans, everyone all together. Through the windows I can see the rain bathing all the trees and flowers so prevalent in Oregon, the state that has become my home. Behind me the blackboard shows numbers and equations. Since most of the kids are immigrants or from low-income families they are all wondering the same thing: "How will I pay for college?" I tell them that there are generous people out there willing to help people who are willing to help themselves, people who won't forget to give back to their communities."

—Ricardo Alonso, Jr.