After our recent Fellowship Breakfast, we caught up with Lauren Bedard, a single subject credential candidate in mathematics in the Teacher Education Program. Bedard graduated from UCSB with a BA in Mathematics, focused on high school teaching.
GGSE: You received the Vivian Guerrier "Hope" Scholarship. Do you feel a connection to her legacy?
Bedard: Back in August, when we were given the list of fellowships that we could apply for, I was immediately drawn to the Hope fellowship. "Persevering despite hardships" and "inspiring others with her courage and integrity" are just a couple examples of phrases used to describe Vivian. My mom passed away unexpectedly a week before I started classes in the Teacher Education Program. If this experience has taught me anything, it's that pain and loss are inevitable. What I can control, though, is how I respond to that. From all I've read and heard about Vivian, I think she understood that, too. I decided to continue with this program because I wanted my mom's passing to mean something, and if I were able to make even a fraction of the impact on my students as Vivian made on the people around her, I would consider myself lucky.
GGSE: What is the impact of this fellowship on your experience this year and in the future?
Bedard: Receiving this fellowship just reinforces my desire to let my personal challenges be part of what makes me a compassionate, caring teacher in the future. It also has given a great deal of relief to my family to have less of a financial burden for school, so we can focus more on taking care of my grandmother's housing and medical expenses.