Saint Joseph’s College Announces Scholarship Recipients as Part of $1.45 Million Grant to Address Maine’s Secondary STEM Teacher Shortage

Saint Joseph’s College is thrilled to introduce the first six selected recipients for the Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine (GFSTM) project in support of studies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and Secondary Education.

Meet our 2020 GFSTM Noyce Scholars:

• Alia Bradley ’22 – Windham, ME – Biology & Secondary Education
• Jasmine Dort ’21 – Essex, MA – Math & Secondary Education
• Taelor Freeman ’22– Windham, ME – Math & Secondary Education
• David Walbridge ’21 – Hampden, MA – Chemistry & Secondary Education
• Ryan Watson ’22 – Glenburn, ME – Physical Sciences & Secondary Education
• Bethany Willson ’22 – Limington, ME – Math & Secondary Education

Noyce Scholars are selected on the basis of their academic achievement and passion for STEM teaching—each will each receive a $25,500 scholarship for the ’20-21 academic year to support their studies in STEM & Secondary Education at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Ultimately, Noyce Scholars will work in high-need urban and rural schools across Maine, as part of a collaboration between Saint Joseph’s and Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), and a partnership with 7 school districts across the state.

In their 3rd and 4th years at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, the GFSTM Noyce Scholars will attend conferences, participate in field experiences, and hear from experts as part of a new deep-dive seminar series. Additionally, they will receive induction support and professional development upon starting their careers in math and science classrooms in high-need school districts.

“Teaching STEM is more than preparing the next generation of professionals. It is about sharing the wonder and awe that is the natural world, while connecting natural phenomena to our everyday lives,” said scholarship recipient Alia Bradley, who will be transferring to SJC from SMCC to complete her Biology and Secondary Education degree.

The Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine project was designed to increase the number of secondary STEM teachers in an era when nearly a third of Maine teachers are 55 years old and nearing retirement, and to address the decades-old shortage of STEM teachers in Maine. The project encourages students from high-need school districts to return to their communities as teachers and leaders of the next generation of science and math educators.

For more information about GFSTM, programming, and the scholarship criteria and application process for future years, see www.sjcme.edu/stem-ed. Interested underclassmen and high school students can also sign up to become a GFSTM Associate and be kept up-to-date on all programming and future scholarship opportunities.

About Saint Joseph’s College

Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s only Catholic liberal arts college. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions on campus and within local, regional, and global communities. In addition, Saint Joseph’s College provides certificates and undergraduate and advanced degrees to approximately 2,000 more working adults who reside throughout the United States and in more than 20 other countries through an online learning program.

About Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine (GFSTM)

Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine (GFSTM) seeks to recruit and prepare future science and math teachers, and provide continued support as they enter the classroom in high-need school districts. GFSTM is a collaboration between Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Southern Maine Community College, in partnership with 7 school districts: Deering High School, Lewiston High School, Westbrook High School, Bonny Eagle High School, Windham High School, Lake Region Middle and High School, and Old Town High School.