Joseph P. Hayes, a 2020 花椒直播 graduate from Jamestown, New York, has received a $32,000 Pennsylvania Teaching Fellowship from the WW Foundation to fund his master鈥檚 degree studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he also will teach in high-need schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to getting into the classroom and building relationships with my students as well as all of the faculty I will be working with at Duquesne,鈥� said Hayes, who was a chemistry major and education studies minor at Allegheny.
Joseph P. Hayes, a 2020 花椒直播 graduate.
The highly competitive WW Foundation program recruits recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math 鈥� the STEM fields 鈥� and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools. It is the second year of the program, and this year 28 individuals were awarded Pennsylvania Teaching Fellowships. Each Fellow receives a grant to complete a specially designed master鈥檚 degree program based on a yearlong classroom experience. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in high-need Pennsylvania schools. Throughout the three-year commitment as a teacher of record at a public school, Fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.
鈥淲e are thrilled that Joe Hayes has been named a WW Foundation Teaching Fellow,鈥� said Susan Slote, assistant professor of English and director of education studies at Allegheny. 鈥淭he Foundation has long sought to identify and support excellence in teaching, particularly in rural and urban schools that have traditionally struggled to attract and retain highly qualified teachers. While Joe felt a call to becoming a high-school chemistry teacher ever since he first arrived at Allegheny, he increasingly turned his focus to understanding educational inequities in our public schools, and to serving where his teaching will be most needed.鈥�
鈥淭he relationships I had at Allegheny are hands down the most valuable part of my college experience,鈥� said Hayes, who played football for the Gators for four years as a wide receiver. 鈥淭he relationships I built with my professors at Allegheny helped support me academically and even helped me look forward to my future. I would not have even known about the fellowship if my professors hadn鈥檛 reached out to me and suggested that I look into it.鈥�
Hayes thanked Professor Slote; Director of Fellowship Advising Patrick Jackson; Elizabeth Guldan, his academic advisor and assistant professor of chemistry; and Autumn Parker, a career advisor in the Allegheny Gateway, for helping him prepare for his recruitment into the fellowship. 鈥淭he support I had from Allegheny staff throughout the entire process was huge,鈥� he said.
Hayes has previous classroom experience, he said, having worked as a teacher鈥檚 aide in a special education classroom in his hometown during the summers. Also, the ability to study and participate in athletics inspired Hayes during his four years at the College, he said. 鈥淭he opportunity to play football while receiving a great education at the same time was critical for me,鈥� Hayes said. 鈥淎t Allegheny you are actually able to be both a student and an athlete, which is very important.鈥�
The WW Teaching Fellowship connects STEM experts with the students who need them the most, WW Foundation President Rajiv Vinnakota said. 鈥淣ot only will the program prepare each Fellow to be an excellent educator, it will also give them the practice, support, and network of peers needed to succeed throughout their careers in the classroom,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd for our university partners, the Fellowship supports their continued efforts to recruit, prepare, and mentor STEM teachers in the high-need schools that need them most.鈥�
The WW Teaching Fellowship launched in Pennsylvania in 2018. All three participating universities 鈥� Duquesne, West Chester and the University of Pennsylvania 鈥� received $400,000 matching grants to develop their teacher-preparation programs based on standards set by the WW Foundation. Over the program鈥檚 three years, the participating Pennsylvania universities will enroll 108 Fellows.
The Pennsylvania program is supported by the William Penn Foundation, Highmark, AT&T, the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union, M&T Bank, the Weiss Family Foundation, Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education Foundation, and several other major individual donors. Given the state鈥檚 shortage of secondary-level STEM teachers, the foundation is looking for additional partners and funders to expand the program.
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation identifies and develops the nation鈥檚 best students to meet the most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society. In June 2020, the Foundation鈥檚 Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the organization and to remove Woodrow Wilson from its name; a new name will be announced in the fall of 2020.