Early Educators Leadership Conference High School Leaders Scholarship Winners

We are pleased to announce the two winners of our 2016 Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC) High School Leaders Scholarship. Our winners are Mary Matthews of Highland, Utah, and Tracy Westog of Woodstown, New Jersey. Mary is a family and consumer science teacher at Lone Peak High School, and Tracy is a childcare and early education teacher. Congratulations to them both!

Our committee had a difficult time making a selection; the finalists were all excellent, and they all wrote eloquently about their commitment to the early care and education field. What we were struck by was their ability to articulate their achievements, accomplishments, and even their concerns about the programs in their respective high schools.

Mary MatthewsWe asked for a lot from every person who applied: an application, a written description of their current high school or CTE child development program, details on what the program offers, a short essay about enhancing a development program, another essay about how EELC would be beneficial, and a letter of recommendation. That’s a ton of information to gather!

Both Mary and Tracy wrote about “expanding my knowledge base.” This desire to learn is key, not just for attendees to our conference, but for the students they work with on a daily basis. Curiosity leads us to take on new challenges, to ask tough questions, and to admit what we don’t know.

Tracy WestogWe’re really looking forward to meeting Mary and Tracy in October. We were really proud of how EELC turned out last year, and this year is going to be even better. Speakers, panelists, and leaders that will be in attendance are coming from outstanding organizations such as NAEYC, Child Care Aware of America, McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership, Knowledge Universe, Head Start, ZERO TO THREE, Wolf Trap Foundation, and so many others. We’re confident that all of our attendees, including Mary and Tracy, are going to love it.