Power of 10 Scholarship Success Leads to New Promise

As part of the UC Davis School of Education’s year-long celebration of its tenth anniversary, alumni, faculty, staff, students, emeriti, and friends banded together to support the Power of 10 Scholarship Fund. By the end of June, the School raised more than $34,000 to provide scholarship funds to students in each of its major academic programs (PhD, EdD, and Teaching Credential/MA) in the 2013-14 school year.

Nearly 62 percent of School of Education faculty and staff made gifts to the fund. The lead gifts were made by the entire student services staff, and teacher education faculty.

“We are very proud of the level of generosity and participation of all donors to this fund,” said Adrienne Capps, assistant dean for development and external relations, “and we are particularly gratified by the participation among faculty and staff. This level of support is unprecedented on our campus, so we take a lot of pride in serving as a model for other groups looking for inspiring ways to provide meaningful philanthropic opportunities for faculty and staff.”

Two alumni, Sandi Redenbach (BA ’72, Credential ’73) and John Brown (Credential ‘72), each made a $5,000 matching gift pledge that was matched in a matter of weeks. The Education Graduate Student Association gave $450, representing $1 for each student in the School of Education.

In all, ten students were awarded Power of 10 scholarships:

• Yesenia Illdefonzo, Multiple Subject Credential student
• Veronica Cuate, Single Subject Credential student in English
• Ariel Bowley, Single Subject Credential student in Science
• Renatta Villasenor DeFever, PhD student in  School Organization and Educational Policy
• Julie Orosco, PhD student in Math Education
• Daniela Torres-Torretti, PhD student in Language, Literacy and Culture
• Rachel Somerville, EdD student
• Erin Davenport, EdD student
• Jodi Tamosunas, EdD student
• Shannon Morago, EdD student