Fund: Bridge to Success Teacher Education Endowed Student Award Fund Department: SOE Dean's Office Dept D01000 Purpose: Graduate Student Support History and Purpose: Dr. Katherine Wright has deep connections to UC Riverside. As a child, Kathy enjoyed riding her bicycle and roller skating around the campus and taking walks through the married student housing area. She went on to earn her teaching credential, master's degree, and administrative services credential from UCR. After a career of more than thirty years with Riverside's Alvord Unified School District, Dr. Wright retired as its Superintendent in 2008. She remains an active and dedicated volunteer for numerous organizations in the Riverside community, including UCR, where she has served on the Dean's advisory committee in the Graduate School of Education and as a Trustee for the UCR Foundation. Dr. Wright has a great appreciation for her education at UC Riverside, and a strong sense of responsibility for giving back and helping others. Thus her goal with this endowment fund is to impact future generations of educators by helping to bridge the financial gap for students at risk of withdrawing from the teacher credential program due to financial hardship. This fund will be used to provide financial aid to Teacher Credential students who are enrolled in the program but are at risk of withdrawing from the program due to financial hardship. Selection and Guidelines: The Graduate School of Education will administer the Fund in cooperation with the Financial Aid Office. Awards will be based on academic merit and financial need. Eligible candidates must be Teacher Education students who are at risk of withdrawing from the credential program due to financial hardship. Candidates will be identified through a confidential interview with the Director of Student Services or his/her designee. Eligible candidates will complete an application form and will include a self-statement and require a letter of support from their cohort supervisor. The Teacher Education Committee, which oversees all scholarship awards in the Teacher Education Program at UCR, will make the final decision. In years when there is no candidate who meets the specified criteria, awards may be held until the following year. Request for Information: Request Scholarship Information