February 07, 2012

Student receives fellowship for aspiring teachers of color

Madelyn Troiano ’12 has won a prestigious fellowship for aspiring teachers of color.

Madelyn Troiano ’12 has won the Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color, created to recruit, support, and retain public school teachers in the United States.

“Everyone deserves the right to a good education, one that challenges the mind and encourages critical thinking,” Troiano said. “Education is the foundation of a strong society, one that encourages all types of people to do their best and work toward positive change. Thanks to the fellowship, I will be a part of working toward this change.”

Troiano, a Hispanic studies major from Anchorage, Alaska, will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a master’s degree in education. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation will also help prepare Troiano to teach in a high-need public school and will provide support during her three-year teaching commitment.

Troiano is the second Lewis & Clark student to receive a Wilson Fellowship. Aukeem Ballard ’11 was honored in 2011 and currently attends Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, which is one of the 28 graduate programs selected as partners for the fellowship.

Within a decade, the percentage of students of color in the K-12 system is projected to grow to 50 percent, while the percentage of teachers of color will fall to an all-time low of 5 percent. The Wilson Fellowship aims to counteract this decline.