Two Selected as Inaugural Noyce INSPIRE Scholarship Recipients
September 4, 2020
St. John Fisher College students Jonathan De La Fuente and Joseph Torrillo were selected as the inaugural recipients of the Noyce INSPIRE Scholarship.
As scholars, De La Fuente and Torrillo will receive a scholarship of up to $21,750 per year during their junior and senior years at Fisher to help offset the cost of tuition. And, over the next two years, the INSPIRE Scholars will be mentored and equipped with the set of skills necessary to excel at teaching in a high-need school district.
“I am very excited to welcome Joseph and Jonathan as our first cohort of Noyce INSPIRE scholars,” said Dr. Kermin J. Martínez-Hernández, principal investigator of the Noyce INSPIRE program and associate professor of chemistry. “I strongly believe they will be amazing STEM teachers and I am looking forward to working with and mentoring them.”
Teacher candidates receiving the Noyce scholarship will concentrate their field experience and/or student teaching experiences in rural districts in our region where a shortage of STEM teachers is a continuing issue. Geneva, North Rose-Wolcott, Penn Yan, and Sodus school districts will be available to provide these experiences for the teacher candidates.
“I was extremely excited when I was told I was selected. Teaching is something I always wanted to do growing up; I wanted to be a positive influence on students and be able to advocate for them, but was sort of skeptical of my own abilities to be able to do so,” said De La Fuente, who is majoring in biology and inclusive adolescence education. “Being selected for the NOYCE program gave me a confidence boost—reassuring me that I am capable of becoming the teacher that I always wanted to be. And being a part of the NOYCE program I believe is a huge step in the right direction.”
Torrillo, who is majoring in mathematics and inclusive adolescence education, agreed.
“I feel very honored and appreciative that I have been given such a great opportunity to further my education and enhance my experiences in the teaching profession. Being accepted into this program will allow me to pursue my goals and prepare for the future as a mathematics teacher,” said Torrillo.
Recruitment for the next NOYCE cohort is currently underway. STEM students interested in teaching careers can learn more about the scholarship at https://go.sjfc.edu/noyce or by emailing Dr. Martínez-Hernández (kmartinez-hernandez@sjfc.edu). Follow the scholarship program on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1852690. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.