Three university students who are aspiring educators have been awarded Galileo’s 2019 Spark Innovation Scholarship. Each winning student will receive $1000 to apply to their own educational endeavors. This year’s winners are Jessica Cheng (University of California, Berkeley), Leah Nadir (Scripps College) and Cloey Stump (University of Redlands).
The scholarship application was available to all undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in education in California or Illinois, the states where Galileo operates its summer education programs. One hundred thirty students from 55 colleges and universities submitted essays of 500-750 words reflecting on how they plan to inspire kids to become innovators and how their current experience impacts or supports their future goals.
“Innovators are not born of rote memorization and blind obedience; they arise from the opportunity to draw from what they know, and to engage what those around them know as well…The classroom must be viewed as a team in which every member, students and teacher alike, has both something to teach and something to learn. When learning is a collaborative effort, students can develop the sense of confidence, ownership, and openness that true innovators bring to everything they do,” wrote Nadir in her winning essay.
Galileo, which hires and trains nearly 1500 college students annually to work with it’s programs each summer, began the Spark Innovation Scholarship in 2018 as a new way to support future educators who believe that- in order for students to have a competitive advantage and add true value to the global community of the future- innovation must be at the forefront of education. Galileo plans to continue awarding Spark Innovation Scholarships in the fall of 2020 and encourages all college students to apply.
“As an organization, we’re honored to support educators of tomorrow who are ready to make an impact. As an individual, I was humbled to review all of the incredible essays—concrete outlines of each person’s experience thus far, as well as a clear vision for how they plan to bring tools of innovation to students for years to come,” says Viva Asmelash, and Associate Director of People Operations at Galileo, and an essay reviewer.
About Galileo
Galileo operates 100+ summer camp programs throughout California and Illinois, where more than 35,000 kids and over 2,500 staff will invent, design, create and play in summer 2020. Galileo’s mission is to develop innovators who envision and create a better world. Founded in 2002 by Glen Tripp, Galileo is a certified B Corp, was named one of Forbes’ Best Small Companies, and is a Real Leaders’ 2019 Top Impact Company.
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