Project TEACH, an incentive scholarship program at Hope College geared toward helping minority students become teachers, has chosen a seventh group of participating high school students.
Monica Martinez, Tung Nguyen, Diego Romero and Wanda Turner, all of the Holland area, have joined the program beginning with the new 2002-03 school year. They will be recognized during a reception at the college's Maas Center auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
"I am excited about this group of new students," said Barbara Albers, director of Project TEACH. "They bring enthusiasm, commitment, and a shared vision of a new future for themselves and for the students they will influence in the future. I know they will each develop into an excellent teacher that Hope College will be proud to call one of its own."
Project TEACH (Teachers Entering a Career Through Hope) provides mentoring and instructional support for the high schoolers, who begin as sophomores or juniors. The program also provides scholarship aid for the participants as Hope students. The program's goal is to help local students while increasing the number of minorities who become teachers locally.
The program enrolled its first high school students in the fall of 1996. A total of 21 are now participating, including 12 who are students at Hope.
"I am also very pleased to see 12 of our Project TEACH students on the Hope campus now," Albers said. "Four freshmen join this year's freshman class, and we will have our first two college graduates this spring."
Martinez is a sophomore at West Ottawa High School, and the daughter of Antonio and Crystl Martinez of Holland. Her activities have included church activities, working at the General Store, mission trips and cheerleading. She is interested in teaching English at the high school level.
Nguyen is a junior at West Ottawa High School, and the son of Thanh and Dinh Nguyen of Holland. His activities have included baseball and football, and involvement with Rotary. He is considering teaching mathematics at the high school level.
Romero is a sophomore at Holland High School, and the son of Rosario and Petra Romero of Holland. His activities have included Hope College Upward Bound and serving as a volunteer during Tulip Time. He is interested in teaching English as a second language or mathematics at the middle school or high school level.
Turner is a sophomore at Holland High School, and the daughter of Eva Turner of Holland. Her activities have included band, Boys and Girls Club, and Urban Youth Ministries. She is considering teaching kindergarten or first grade.
In addition to this year's new students, the program's participants are: Kristine Brandt, a freshman at Hope; Justine Campos, a senior at Holland High School; Allison Cuellar, a freshman at Hope; Tiffani Delaney, a junior at Holland High School; Kristina Kyles, a junior at Hope; Kristina Martinez, a junior at Hope; Yadira Martinez, a senior at Holland High School; Ericka Morales, a freshman at Hope; Jessica Nykamp-Schwander, a junior at West Ottawa High School; Dinah Rios, a sophomore at Hope; Adam Rodriguez, a sophomore at Hope; Pannha Sann, a sophomore at Hope; Meyly Sew, a senior at Hope; Pong Somprasong, a junior at Holland High School; Sonia Soto, a senior at Hope; Dina Vathanaphone, a junior at Hope; and Antoine Williams, a freshman at Hope.