{"id":200743,"date":"2019-10-16T13:25:14","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T17:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=200743"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:30:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:30:36","slug":"neag-school-holds-annual-scholarship-awards-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2019\/10\/neag-school-holds-annual-scholarship-awards-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Holds Annual Scholarship Awards Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Neag School community honored more than 150 Neag School student scholarship recipients last month at the School\u2019s Annual Scholarship Awards Celebration, many of whom attended the celebratory luncheon in Rome Commons Ballroom with their family and friends. The student attendees had the unique opportunity to cultivate relationships with the donors whose support plays an integral part in their educational pursuits.<\/p>\n

The scholarships are made possible by the generosity of Neag School and UConn alumni, faculty, and administrators as well as others beyond the University who are committed to helping students through their higher education journey.<\/p>\n

The event was emceed by three-time Neag School alumnus Desi Nesmith \u201901 (ED), \u201902 MA, \u201909 6th\u00a0Year, current chief turnaround officer for the state of Connecticut, who shared his story of being the beneficiary of scholarships while at the Neag School and who now gives back to the School as a donor. Nesmith, who previously received the Neag School\u2019s Outstanding Early Career Professional Award, has also supported the School as a past member and president of its Alumni Board.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t have to wait to give. It\u2019s not the amount; it\u2019s the passion, and it\u2019s getting engaged with the University and staying engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sandra Hastings \u201989 MA, \u201994 Ph.D.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Music
Music education students Jamie Bailey, Emily VanRyswood, and William Mandelbaum perform at the Neag School of Education’s Scholarship Celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the students, people have made an investment in you and the best way that you can pay that forward as you begin to step into your career\u00a0is not forget that,\u201d says Desi Nesmith. \u201cBecause of folks like the donors in the room, they paid it forward for people like me. So it\u2019s a pleasure for my wife and I to be donors and to be able to pay it forward for you because it’s you who are shaping the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event also featured remarks from scholarship recipient Isabella \u201cIvy\u201d Horan \u201919 (ED), \u201920 MA, a current Neag School master\u2019s student in elementary education, who shared the top 10 things her students have taught her in her teaching experiences thus far. Among the lessons she shared were the importance of building positive relationships with students, having fun, and being yourself in the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor students like me who are preservice teachers, you are supporting not only us, but also bettering the lives of future generations of students who will have us as teachers, too,\u201d Horan told the scholarship donors in attendance. Her remarks were subsequently republished in the\u00a0Hartford Courant<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

A performance by three music education students \u2014\u00a0Jamie Bailey \u201921 (ED), \u201922 MA, William Mandelbaum \u201921 (ED), \u201922 MA, and Emily VanRyswood, \u201921 (ED), \u201922 MA \u2014\u00a0featured a rendition of \u201cI See Fire\u201d by Ed Sheeran.<\/p>\n

Their performance was preceded by a question-and-answer conversation between Nesmith and alumna Sandra Hastings \u201989 MA, \u201994 Ph.D., chair of the Neag School of Education Dean\u2019s Board of Advocates.<\/p>\n

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\"Sandra
Sandra Hastings and Desi Nesmith have a conversation about supporting the Neag School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Hastings shared her journey from serving as an expert in workforce development to becoming involved in philanthropy. Her ambition to launch a collaborative philanthropic effort led her to develop a\u00a0$50,000 endowment<\/a>\u00a0this past year that supports study abroad opportunities for Neag School students, while also giving family and friends of hers the chance to contribute to the scholarship fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy leaving the door open and giving people the opportunity to give as much or as little as they could, I was able to raise $50,000 pretty quickly,\u201d says Hastings. \u201cI think that even if it\u2019s $5 a year, we all can give something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to wait to give,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s not the amount; it\u2019s the passion, and it\u2019s getting engaged with the University and staying engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For Future Educators<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Donors shared the following advice with Neag School students who will ultimately teach in classrooms of their own:<\/h3>\n

\u201cBe true to yourself, be authentic, and focus on the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sandra Hastings, \u201989 MA, \u201994 Ph.D.,
\nChair, Neag School Dean\u2019s Board of Advocates<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that the classroom has fun. Keep your eye on the kids. Make sure they\u2019re on track, but make it fun. My classroom was always a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Carla Klein \u201972 (ED)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAlways continue to learn every single day so that you can turn around and teach every single day to your students. Never stop learning. Never take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer. You have in the palm of your hands the mind of the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Irene P. Makiaris<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHave the courage of your convictions and always try to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Francis X. Archambault \u201969 MA, \u201970 Ph.D.,
\nProfessor Emeritus, Educational Psychology<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way we get to where we are is because we\u2019ve had people help us and for the recipients in the room, it\u2019s important not to forget the folks who have helped you get to this point. And for the donors, I really think it\u2019s critical and important that you all see the outcomes of the donations that you make and the impact that you have not only across the state but ultimately across the country and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Desi Nesmith\u00a0\u201901 (ED), \u201902 MA, \u201909 6th Year,
\nChief Turnaround Officer,\u00a0Connecticut State Department of Education<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Neag
\u201cStudents will not learn from you if you do not show them that you are there to care for and support them,\u201d said\u00a0Neag School education student Ivy Horan \u201919 (ED), \u201920 MA\u00a0during her remarks at the Scholarship Celebration. (Defining Studios\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Why Give?
\n<\/strong>The theme of the awards celebration was \u201cplanting seeds,\u201d symbolizing the ways in which scholarships plant seeds for students\u2019 futures and allowing them to flourish in their future careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the people that are going to be teaching the future,\u201d says Elizabeth Degnan \u201987 (CLAS), a UConn alumna who founded the Degnan Family Scholarship along with her husband, James \u201987 (CLAS). \u201cThe impact we are going to have on generations to come is an honor and a privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carla Klein \u201972 (ED), a UConn alumna, retired teacher, and emeritus UConn Foundation Board Member, who\u00a0established an endowment for graduate students in teacher education<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0her late husband, John \u201971 (CLAS), \u201977 JD, says her desire to give back stems from seeing her husband struggle with paying his college debt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the way that affected him, and if I could make it easier for other people, that\u2019s my intent,\u201d says Klein.<\/p>\n

Neag School professor emeritus and UConn alumnus Francis X. Archambault says a lot had been given to him throughout his life, and he felt he had a personal responsibility to give back to the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked at UConn for many years, and I\u2019m passionate about UConn,\u201d says Archambault. \u201cI think it\u2019s a great institution, and I\u2019m just happy to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Irene P. Makiaris, the decision to give back to the Neag School is rooted in her appreciation for education, being born to immigrant parents and her father having only received a sixth-grade education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he came to the United States, he said, \u2018My children are going to be educated; that\u2019s the No. 1 thing that I want them to do,\u2019\u201d says Makiaris. \u201cI feel blessed that I had the opportunity to be able to get an education, and I had parents who really pushed me.\u201d She and her husband, alum Emanual Makiaris \u201965 (CLAS), established the Irene P. and Emanuel A. Makiaris Scholarship, which supports students in teacher education.<\/p>\n

Numerous Neag School faculty also have actively supported student scholarships.\u00a0Suzanne Wilson<\/a>, head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Neag Endowed Professor in Teacher Education, is currently putting her own endowed fellowship into place. She says she feels lucky to work in higher education at an institution that allows her to teach and conduct important research.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to give back to the institutions that support you along the way,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cIt contributes to the social glue of our country and connects us to other people, to other communities, and to the organizations and communities that nurture us.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn more about supporting the Neag School of Education through scholarships for students.<\/a><\/h3>\n

View photos from the event<\/a>.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Neag School community honored more than 150 Neag School student scholarship recipients last month at the School\u2019s Annual Scholarship Awards Celebration, many of whom attended the celebratory luncheon in Rome Commons Ballroom with their family and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":200744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2472,1855],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2455],"class_list":["post-200743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-gifts-donors","category-neag"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-02 03:40:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200745,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200743\/revisions\/200745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/200744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200743"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=200743"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=200743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}