Teaching It Forward scholarship program

Rebecca Mieliwocki, 2012 California Teacher of the Year/National Teacher of the Year

Seventh-grade English teacher, Rebecca Mieliwocki says it was important to her that she honor the school district in which she works — and the city whose children she’s taught — by offering the Teaching It Forward scholarship to an employee of Burbank Unified School District.

She selected Ishmael Lopez, a self-described “computer guy” for the district, she says, for three reasons: “First, he’s a Burbank guy through and through. … Second, his core values of responsibility, service and duty are very important to me. … Finally, he is committed to making his family proud of him and doing right by the community that grew him.”

Lopez is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

David Bosso, 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year

It didn’t take long for David Bosso to find the right candidate for his Teaching It Forward scholarship. “Alberto Velez came to mind rather quickly,” he says. “It’s not often that members of the custodial staff are afforded the esteem in which Alberto is held,” noting that Velez was recognized as Staff Person of the Year at Connecticut’s Berlin High School shortly before receiving this scholarship award.

Velez is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business. “He knows that his educational growth as a result of the Teaching It Forward scholarship will make a difference in the lives of his son and daughter, and he wants to earn his degree not only for himself, but more significantly, for them,” Bosso adds.

Gay Beck, 2011 Utah Teacher of the Year

Brody Bates was working his fifth year as a substance abuse recovery counselor when Gay Beck heard his story. She was immediately touched by Bates’s remarkable resilience in the face of personal adversity and his deep commitment to serving others. With his Teaching It Forward scholarship, Bates is now pursuing a Master of Science in Counseling at the University of Phoenix Utah Campus.

He says he plans to use this advanced education to seek fulfillment by working “with individuals on a more personal and emotional level.” Bates adds that he is striving to improve himself through this “gift of education,” serving as an example to others who seek a better way of life.