The Rockefeller Brothers Fund named David Gonzalez '95, Candice Jimerson '95 and Cresencia Spencer '95 as 1994 Minority Teaching Fellows, an award that earns each recipient a stipend of up to $18,000.
The three recipients are among 26 undergraduates from 16 schools nationwide selected by the organization. The Fund aims to increase the number of minority student teachers in American public schools.
The Fellowships first provide undergraduate recipients with a maximum stipend of $2,500 to pursue individually designed projects in education during their junior summers.
Projects are supervised by a college professor, who receives a stipend of $1,500.
Following graduation, each Fellow receives a yearly stipend of $6,000 or $9,000 to participate in a master's degree program in teaching or an education-related field.
After finishing their graduate studies, the Fellows begin teaching in public elementary or secondary schools. During their first three years of teaching, the Fellows will receive up to $1,200 annually from the Fund to help repay their tuition loans.
Spencer, a Spanish major and member of Students for Excellence in Education, emphasized the need to view teachers as professionals. She said she hopes to help public school teachers achieve the same qualifications and respect given to private school teachers.
As of now, Spencer's summer plans remain unspecified. She expects to work in a summer camp or an environment combining student recreation and academics.
After graduation, Spencer's research will focus on bilingual studies. She said she would like to work in a multi-cultural setting.
Gonzalez, a government major and member of the debate team, said entering the education field is not a wholly altruistic endeavor.
"It is possible I will learn more than the kids," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said he plans to spend the summer in his hometown of San Antonio, Calif. to work in a summer school and to continue research on an individual project that examines Hispanic-Latino education and the law.
Jimerson, a history major participating in the Dartmouth Teacher Certification program, will teach in New Hampshire after graduation.
Jimerson will work with Education Professor Andrew Garrod. She said she will spend the summer in a Chicago public school program called "Access 2000." The program provides both an environmental science curriculum and academic studies for urban students in Chicago.
After graduation, Jimerson said she plans to attend graduate school in history and then begin teaching history and social studies in a secondary public school.
"My aims are to help, encourage and build self-respect in my students," Jimerson said.
Jimerson said she appreciates the efforts of the Fund to help put more qualified ethnic minority teachers into the education field.
"The Fellowships will help to counteract the notion that minority teachers are hired simply on the basis of color rather than merit," Jimerson added.
Of the 400 colleges and universities that applied to participate in the Fellowship, 25 were chosen by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Caroline Zinser, a representative for the Fund, said the organization sought the participation of liberal arts students because it believed this background would serve as a stronger basis for education careers.
Zinser said the Fellowships primarily seek to encourage high caliber students - those who usually gravitate to the fields of medicine and law - to pursue careers in education instead.
The Fellowship program was adopted in 1990 and Dartmouth students have entered the competition annually since its inception.
"Dartmouth has been selected as an inaugural participant based on its reputation of scholarship," said Associate Freshmen Dean Tony Tillman, who is also the program's campus coordinator and liaison between the College and the Fund.
"I am very confident that each of the recipients are committed to this pursuit and therefore, will successfully fulfil their obligation," Tillman said.
