PHILADELPHIA, PA – Cheryl Heatwole Shenk, a graduate student at the College pursuing a master of education in early childhood education and an early childhood Montessori certification, was awarded one of five, $1,500 Hannah Amgott Memorial Scholarships from the Delaware Valley Education Consortium (DVEC).
The Delaware Valley Education Consortium (DVEC) consists of 27 colleges and universities in the Delaware Valley, of which Chestnut Hill College is a member. The consortium sponsors an annual teacher job fair and awards scholarships for education students at member institutions.
Scholarship applications are judged on merit, defined as a strong academic record, excellent written communication skills, and genuine interest in and commitment to the field of teaching. The scholarship, created by the DVEC to reward students exhibiting excellence in the pursuit of education, is named after Hannah Amgott, the original chair of the Scholarship Committee.
Shenk, a resident of Camden, NJ, received her undergraduate degree with honors in environmental science and with minors in chemistry, mathematics and socio-economic development from Eastern Mennonite University. Since September, Shenk has been putting her education into practice by establishing a Montessori-based in-home preschool where she has been teaching five children.
She is a board member of the Center for Environment Transformation in Camden, which transforms challenged communities into greener, more environmentally friendly, places to live. In one of her recommendation letters, Shenk is referred to as “a motivated and thoughtful young woman who is really intent on making a difference in her community and in the lives of children and their families.”
In her essay, Cheryl shared that her motivation to become a teacher stemmed from an invitation to be a teacher’s aide in a neighborhood school in Camden. This gave her the opportunity to “witness the critical, formative role education plays in the lives of children” which has enabled this vocational path to grow “into a tangible and realistic vision” for her. Upon her graduation in May 2014, Cheryl plans to open a Montessori primary program as part of the K-8 school in her neighborhood.
