The Education Foundation of Odessa along with The University of Texas Permian Basin has awarded four incoming Falcons with scholarships. The students, all aspiring teachers, will have their tuition, fees, books, and meal plans paid for. In return, they have committed to working as a teacher in Ector County ISD after graduation.
“This has been a team effort and we are truly better together. The University will benefit from having a strong, successful public school system and the school district will benefit from the quality educators that the University produces,” said The Education Foundation of Odessa Director, Celeste Potter.
The scholarship was created, in part, to help the ongoing teacher shortage in Ector County. To be eligible, students must maintain at least 3.0 GPA in high school and have a desire to earn a degree and work as a teacher.
“The mission of the Education Foundation is to create opportunities for education in Ector County ISD so focusing the scholarship with the UT Permian Basin College of Education made perfect sense,” Potter added. “It not only helps our students receive the college education they aspire to achieve, but it also helps ECISD by producing quality teachers.”
The four scholarship recipients are:
Arlene Heras, Permian HS graduate
Daniela Garcia, Permian HS graduate
Sophia Rutledge, OCTECHS graduate
Katelynn Miller, Permian HS graduate