Amber Beaman Presented with Hearst Scholarship at UD

Related Media

Scholarship winner Amber Beaman with Melva Ware, faculty adviser to the ASPIRE program.

NEWARK, DE (10/26/2012)(readMedia)-- For some students, going to college is an accepted rite of passage. For Amber Beaman, ETE '13, growing up in Eastside, Wilmington, it was a dream to become a first generation college student. Fortunately, as a student at Newark High School, she learned of ASPIRE, an organization that supports access to teaching degrees for students from underrepresented groups.

Through ASPIRE, Beaman was able to acquire an internship with New Directions Early Head Start as a senior at Newark High School. Not only did that provide her with valuable exposure to UD, but it helped convince her to become an elementary teacher education major in the College of Education and Human Development. She enrolled in the fall of 2010 and quickly immersed herself in its academic opportunities.

In September 2012, Beaman was presented with a Hearst Foundation scholarship, recognizing her exceptional academic and leadership efforts. In addition to achieving a 3.9 GPA, Beaman:

Served as an officer in the ASPIRE student organization during her freshman year;

Joined a team of students who initiated College Awareness Reaching Everyone workshops;

Received a research internship through ASPIRE, helping to teach an enrichment program at Bayard Middle School. She then helped present findings at the National Future Educators Association Conference in Georgia; and

Was selected as a McNair Scholar in her sophomore and junior year. As a result of her research this summer with Jim Hiebert, professor, School of Education, she compared mathematics instruction across cultures and discovered some practical things that U.S. educators can implement to help increase their students' abilities in the classroom.

"Amber is clearly a student who defies statistics that predict under achievement and limited options for young people who face social and economic challenges," said Melva Ware, faculty adviser to the ASPIRE program and the Hearst scholarship. "She is focused, determined and talented. We are a much stronger community here and nationally when we invest in the success of students like Amber."

Beaman said she was thrilled to be a recipient of the Hearst scholarship. "ASPIRE has provided me with a lot of opportunities -- allowing me to participate in research, outreach and in a leadership role. The scholarships that I've received have really helped me get far in my undergraduate career."

The Hearst scholarship is awarded at least once each academic year to ASPIRE seniors with the highest grade point averages who are active and contributing members.