Second Class of Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowships Announced

Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor James M. Petro, in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, announced the state’s second cohort of Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows, which includes 11 University of Cincinnati fellows who will begin earning their master’s degrees this summer through the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH). The announcement took place May 24, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

The Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowship recruits accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (the STEM fields) in Ohio who will prepare for math and science teaching positions in the state’s urban and rural schools.

The UC Woodrow Wilson STEM Teaching Fellows will complete an intensive, year-long field-based master’s degree in UC’s teacher education program and licensure under the mentorship of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) faculty in CECH, as well as UC’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).

Each of the fellows in the 2012 class will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a special intensive master’s program at one of the participating institutions, including UC. In turn, fellows commit to teach for three years in high-need urban or rural schools, with ongoing mentoring. They’ll be ready to teach in fall 2013.

Angela Yake, a 2011 UC Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellow, took part in the announcement at the Ohio Statehouse. Yake is a married mother of three from South Charleston, Ohio, and was commuting to UC to be part of the program.

“42,527 miles – That sums up the physical commute I’ve made this year from South Charleston to Cincinnati to participate in the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Program at the University of Cincinnati,” said Yake. “But those miles cannot begin to describe the journey I’ve traveled this year. The fellowship has afforded me the opportunity to work with an outstanding cohort of individuals that have become an extension of my family. And, I’ve found that family is important to rely on when you’re embarking on such a tremendous journey.”

Also representing UC at the announcement was Nelson Vincent, CECH associate dean.

“We are all very proud of the UC Woodrow Wilson STEM Teaching Fellows Program, our remarkable STEM Teaching Fellows and the partnership between faculty members in A&S, CEAS and CECH,” said Vincent. “The UC Woodrow Wilson STEM Teaching Fellows Program is demonstrating that an innovative program built around STEM content area expertise, best educational clinical practices, a teacher professional cohort model and competitive candidate recruitment results in great teachers of science, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.”

The 2012 UC Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows are:

Maureen Basedow

– Basedow is a college professor with more than 15 years of teaching experience and was a Fulbright student research fellow. She earned her undergraduate degrees from Bryn Mawr College and earned a PhD in archaeology from Universität Tübingen in Germany.

Nick Bohlen

– Bohlen is a chemical engineer in research and development, and he is also an alumnus of the UC College of Engineering and Applied Science, earning his bachelor’s in chemical engineering in 2004.

Bradney Ciminowasielewski

– Ciminowasielewski is currently working as an employee with the federal GEARUP program, which emphasizes increasing the number of disadvantaged students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Ciminowasielewski earned a bachelor’s in physics from Indiana University in 2010.

Angela Cochran

– The substitute science teacher is earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from The Ohio State University and is from Bucyrus, Ohio.

Janell Duncan

– The Hebron, Ky., resident has experience in both law and engineering and earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from Purdue University. She also has a Juris Doctor in law.

Richard Farris

– The West Chester research and development scientist has more than 35 years of experience at an international corporation. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from Clarkson University and his master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois.

Leo Geraci

– The Norwood resident earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UC in 1985 and earned a PhD in organic chemistry in 1992 from the University of Texas. He has worked as a chemist/researcher in pharmaceutical research and development.

Lisa Good

– The Montgomery resident earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1984 from the University of Michigan and has worked as a research scientist and youth sports coach.

Tyler Knecht

– Knecht is from Cincinnati and is graduating with a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Purdue University.

Angela Rowe

– The Troy, Ohio resident earned a bachelor’s degree in plant cellular/molecular biology from The Ohio State University in 2008. She has worked as a substitute teacher and longtime teacher’s assistant.

Kaitlin Ruby

– The Coshocton, Ohio resident is graduating from UC’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. She has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has also worked as a park ranger intern.

The first class of Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows, named in 2011, included fellows attending UC, John Carroll University and the University of Akron.

Fellows in the 2012 class will attend those universities, as well as Ohio University, The Ohio State University, the University of Dayton and the University of Toledo.

UC Woodrow Wilson Website

Woodrow Wilson Foundation Announcement