PIE Honors 25 Teacher Candidates with $4,000 Fellowships

The Partners in Education (PIE) board of directors selected 25 teacher candidates to be honored during the 16^th Annual Sponsor a Future Teacher Virtual Awards Ceremony.

During the program, which was held on Feb. 24, each student was recognized for their commitment to excellence in teaching. 

“Congratulations to this year's PIE award recipients! Your extraordinary work and remarkable achievements are commendable,” said College of Education and Integrative Studies Interim Dean Hend Gilli-Elewy. “I would also like to thank the PIE Board and donors for your efforts and dedication to our next generation of teachers. You are true advocates of the teaching profession, and your support of our students at this crucial time of their studies makes a huge and lasting difference.” 

PIE is a coalition of academic and community leaders dedicated to advocating for quality education and educational development at Cal Poly Pomona and surrounding communities. Each year, PIE provides fellowships of up to $4,000 each to support teacher candidates during their clinical practice experience. Since 2006, the group has awarded nearly 250 fellowships, totaling over $1 million.

Lindsay Bauer, a 2022 PIE recipient, said the award has brought both excitement and relief.

“I was excited to enroll in clinical practice this semester but very worried about not being able to work and earn money to pay my bills while completing it,” said Bauer. “The security and peace of mind this award has provided to me has been indescribable and I’m incredibly grateful.”

Another recipient, John Baek, said the award has allowed him to focus solely on his student teaching experience.

“Clinical practice is a very critical and demanding part of the credential program that requires a significant time commitment from teacher candidates,” said Baek. “Because of this award, I have been able to wholly dedicate my time to student teaching and focus on getting the most out of the experience without worrying about my finances. I want to thank the PIE board of directors for supporting me as I strive to become the best educator I can be.”

The following teacher candidates were recognized as 2022 PIE Fellowship recipients:

"Congratulations to this year's outstanding fellowship awardees" said Sue Johnson, chair of PIE. "I can't tell you what a wonderful opportunity this fellowship is for our recipients. It will make the difference between a recipient continuing his/her education and completing the credential program or not. It will make the difference between our recipients fulfilling their dreams of becoming teachers or not. It will make a difference for countless children who will be influenced by each of our recipients for years to come. We may never know how many lives we will impact with these fellowship awards, but for those recipients and the children they will teach, their lives will be forever changed." 

The PIE Fellowship application is open from August to October of each year. To qualify for the award, students must meet a minimum 3.0 GPA upon entering the credential program; be fully admitted into the credential program; must be working towards their first credential; and must be enrolled in clinical practice within a certain timeframe. Intern teachers or students employed through teacher residency programs do not qualify.

For more information about PIE, visit www.cpp.edu/ceis/partners-in-education.