Helping students like Mikalyn Piccola achieve their goals is what the U.S. National Science Foundation鈥檚 (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program strives to do. Piccola, class of 2027 from Cincinnati, Ohio, along with Riley Boyles, class of 2027 from Ostrander, Ohio, and Olivia Follick, class of 2026 from Vandalia, Ohio, are the latest ASCENT-STEM (Addressing Springfield Community鈥檚 STEM Education Needs Together), scholarship recipients.
This is the second-straight year that Wittenberg鈥檚 ASCENT-STEM program awarded three students with scholarships through its $1.2 million grant. The effort includes partnerships with the Springfield City School District (SCSD), the Global Impact STEM Academy (GISA), and Clark State College (CSC).
STUDENTS CREATE NEW CLASS
On the way home from a unique and fulfilling FIRE Week adventure at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT), a spark ignited. Right then on the bus ride back, a group of Wittenberg students pursuing teacher licensing generated and successfully pushed the idea for a new class forward that would provide them with further connections to GSMIT.
Charity Perry '25 learns importance of bringing nature to the classroom through her recent FIRE Week experience at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
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Major: Math Placement District: Mapleton School District, "The Robert Noyce Teacher program transformed the course of my life. It gave me the financial independence to pursue my goals, opened my eyes to possibilities beyond Ohio, and empowered me to advocate for my students in ways I had never imagined. After graduating, Noyce fueled my commitment to championing my students and their families both personally and professionally. In 2016, this dedication led me to pursue a Master鈥檚 in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education so I could better support my students in the classroom. Choosing Noyce and committing to a Title I school after graduation has had a profound and lasting impact鈥攏ot only on my own life, but on the lives of my students through the meaningful, lifelong connections and friendships we鈥檝e built." | Major: Math Placement District: West Clermont Local School District "At first, I was hesitant because of all of the hard work and experiences that set me out of my comfort zone with this scholarship, but I am so glad that I did it. My internship at PNNL for the US Department of Energy was one of the biggest things holding me back from applying, but after I did it, I knew having that real-world applied math experience would help me in my teaching assignment. It is an experience that I would do over and over again! | Major: Biology Placement District:
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Major: Math
Placement District: Mapleton School District, Thorton, CO
"The Robert Noyce Teacher program transformed the course of my life. It gave me the financial independence to pursue my goals, opened my eyes to possibilities beyond Ohio, and empowered me to advocate for my students in ways I had never imagined. After graduating, Noyce fueled my commitment to championing my students and their families both personally and professionally. In 2016, this dedication led me to pursue a Master鈥檚 in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education so I could better support my students in the classroom. Choosing Noyce and committing to a Title I school after graduation has had a profound and lasting impact鈥攏ot only on my own life, but on the lives of my students through the meaningful, lifelong connections and friendships we鈥檝e built."
Major: Math
Placement District: West Clermont Local School District
"At first, I was hesitant because of all of the hard work and experiences that set me out of my comfort zone with this scholarship, but I am so glad that I did it. My internship at PNNL for the US Department of Energy was one of the biggest things holding me back from applying, but after I did it, I knew having that real-world applied math experience would help me in my teaching assignment. It is an experience that I would do over and over again!"
U.S. NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
