Local Teachers Selected for American Fidelity Teacher Fellowship
Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Seven 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 inaugural AF Teacher Fellowship recipients are:
- Eric Boggs, Edmond Public Schools, Cheyenne Middle School, 6-8th grade, Computer Science
- Katherine Brooks, Norman Public Schools, Whittier Middle School, 6-8th grade Technology/Pre-Engineering
- Casey Denton, OKC Public Schools, Rockwood Elementary, 4th grade Science & Technology
- Courtney Dinwiddie, Edmond Public Schools, Heritage Elementary, 3rd grade
- Brandon Hartmann, OKC Public Schools, Roosevelt Middle School, Science
- Ashley Rodrigues, Edmond Public Schools, Sequoyah Middle School, Technology & Multimedia
- Laura Smith, Putnam City Schools, James L. Capps Middle School, Technology (Gifted and Talented)
“We are excited to begin the AF Teacher Fellowship program at American Fidelity! The number of students entering into STEM-related degree programs, and ultimately graduating and pursuing STEM careers, is declining at a high rate. Perhaps the hardest hit area is in technology, and yet the demand for technology professionals continues to grow exponentially,” said Diana Bittle, chief technology officer at American Fidelity. “We hope that this program will give teachers experiential learning directly in the field of technology that they can take back to their classrooms to both prepare and excite the next generation of IT professionals.”
In Feb., 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.