(from l-r): Fellowship recipients Jubilee Nordwall, Autumn Trail, and Allison Armstrong with Marika Ann Critelli’s mother and long-time Teacher Education Program faculty member Ann Lippincott (third from left)
Allison Armstrong, Jubilee Nordwall, and Autumn Trail of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School were named the recipients of the 2014 Marika Ann Critelli Memorial Fellowship for Community Service. This fellowship is designated for Teacher Education Program (TEP) credential candidates who demonstrate a personal dedication to bettering the lives of others through volunteer service. This new Fellowship recognizes and encourages graduate students, who, like Marika, see the potential for positive change in this world and act accordingly, inspiring others with their commitment and creativity.
This endowed scholarship honors Marika Ann Critelli, the daughter of beloved Gevirtz School of Education faculty member, Ann Lippincott. Marika grew up in and around the school’s Teacher Education Program. Her mother’s colleagues remember Marika as a small child – as yet unable to read and write – happily “filling out” TEP applications while her mother taught class. When she was twelve years old, Marika began her own recycling business, with the Gevirtz School as one of her first clients. For the rest of her too-brief but highly accomplished life, Marika Critelli was guided by a deep desire to serve her fellow human beings and improve the world we all share.
The Teacher Education Program at UC Santa Barbara offers the Multiple- Subject, the Single-Subject, and the Education Specialist Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials with a Master's Degree in Education. These programs provide future teachers with a solid theoretical foundation integrated with extensive fieldwork that leads to both a California State Teaching Credential and a Master's Degree in Education. The programs are run as a cohort, with the elementary and secondary cohorts no larger than 60 students each. This allows for the individualized attention necessary for high-level preparation of reflective, skilled practitioners who can meet the needs of a diversity of learners in California schools. The Teaching Credential Programs are full-time, post-graduate programs that begin in June and conclude the following June. Teacher candidates have the option to work on the Master's Degree concurrent with credential coursework. It is one of the highest quality programs in the nation, with state-of-the art practice grounded in partner schools, a focus on teaching to reach all learners, and teacher educators with established records of success.