8 Local Teachers Selected for 2019 American Fidelity Teacher Fellowship
Friday, April 26, 2019
Eight local STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) teachers have the opportunity to gain real-life experience in IT at American Fidelity while earning a corporate IT salary this summer by being selected for the AF Teacher Fellowship.
The 2019 AF Teacher Fellowship recipients are:
- Amanda Flesher, Western Oaks Middle School
- Elizabeth Ellis, Del Crest Middle School (Mid-Del)
- James Gibbs, Deer Creek Elementary
- Kayla Mullally, Will Rogers Elementary School (Edmond)
- Katy Powers, Putnam City North High School
- Kinsey Moser, Roosevelt Middle School
- Miranda Hannon, Yukon High School
- Traci Taylor, Rolla High School (Kansas)
“I’m thrilled to offer this program for a second year and help more teachers gain experience to take back to their classrooms,” said Diana Bittle, chief technology officer at American Fidelity. “Seeing how a corporate IT environment works and assisting with real projects gives these teachers tools to inspire our future workforce.”
Last year’s AF Teacher Fellows gained valuable experience during their summer at American Fidelity.
“This has been the experience of a lifetime. In two months I was exposed to more knowledge in technology than I feel a collegiate level course would provide in a year,” said Casey Denton, teacher from Rockwood Elementary.
In February, American Fidelity began the search for STEM teachers to participate in the program. These teacher fellows will work in American Fidelity’s software development, enterprise information management or technical infrastructure areas for the summer. They can then take this experience back to the classroom to help students learn about and prepare for careers in technology. Plus, they’ll receive a $2,000 stipend to use for their classrooms upon completion of the program.