Student Impact 2024

New WEA scholarships welcome student-teachers into their careers

Lily Duong stands in front of the white board in her classroom.

Lily Duong: “I’m excited about teaching.”

Bright and engaging, Lily Duong has a passion for teaching that stems from her own experience in high school.

She grew up in Burien in a warm but busy household with her parents, who owned a pho restaurant, grandparents, three siblings, and later her sister-in-law and niece. At high school, she sought out the college and career center, where she forged strong bonds with counselors and mentors who encouraged Duong to attend college.

“They pushed me to do my best and motivated me to want to go into education,” Duong says. “They provided that extra step, a few additional resources, to help me. I could see myself in them.”

At Western, Duong started out in Future Woodring Scholars, a cohort of students who are pursuing careers in education. She is also a recipient of the Martinez Fellowship, which closes the opportunity gap for students.

She worked as a mentor in the Diversity, Recruitment and Retention office, supporting incoming first-years who are interested in education and come from diverse backgrounds.

“Woodring can be really complex at first—there are so many programs and paths,” Duong says. “I am someone students feel they can come to for guidance.”

Duong is deeply involved in the Woodring community. She represents the college in the Student Senate and plans events that create community and connect students with resources. She helped another student launch the Educators of Color Club. She has hosted bagel brunches to connect faculty and staff, winter wellness programs with tea, coffee and treats, and professional development events for students seeking career mentoring.

Last year, Duong was also one of the first WWU students to receive a new scholarship funded by a $1.5 million gift from Washington Education Association to nurture the next generation of teachers from diverse backgrounds. The donation funds scholarships for students in their fourth or fifth years at Western to support them while they complete their student teaching.

“We purposefully designed the scholarships to extend to the fifth year of teacher preparation so that teaching candidates could continue receiving financial support while student teaching,” says Larry Delaney, president of the WEA.

Lily Duong points to the white board while she speaks to her students.

Student teacher Lily Duong leads her class at Happy Valley Elementary School in Bellingham.

“Additionally, WEA member-teachers are committed to providing one-on-one mentoring and support to help ensure these students complete their programs and thrive in the classroom.”

The WEA scholarship has allowed Duong to stay in school and to ultimately pursue the career she loves without burdening her now-retired parents, who worked hard for years to support their family.

“I’m excited about teaching. I’d also like to pursue a master’s degree at some point,” she says. “I love teaching, but I also want to do something community-centered, like the college mentoring I received, and connecting students like me to resources.”

During her time student-teaching at Happy Valley Elementary School, Lily was a critical resource for students who are non-native English speakers. She smiles brightly when she speaks of the students with whom she’s connected. “Their growth shows me that I know I’m in the right field doing the right thing.”

Learn about how to help the next generation of teachers

Contact Kerry Godes
Associate Vice President,
Development
360-650-4199
Kerry.Godes@wwu.edu

WWU delivers school spirit to teachers

This year The Foundation for WWU & Alumni sent boxes of WWU t-shirts, pennants, stickers and other swag to 500 alumni educators who wanted to decorate their classrooms with WWU spirit.

Thanks to the popularity of the program, more Alumni Teacher Swag kits will be made available to more teachers in future years.

collection of Western Washington University pennants, stickers and other swag.