Randolph education student wins VACTE scholarship

Taylor Murphy ’21

Taylor Murphy ’21 has received one of three scholarships recently awarded by the Virginia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (VACTE).

Nominees for the $1,500 Initial Licensure Scholarship must be admitted to and enrolled in a teacher education program that leads to initial licensure, have current or previous experience working with children or young adults, and have demonstrated a high level of scholarship in previous studies, with a minimum GPA of 3.25.

Each educator preparation program in the state is only allowed to nominate one student, according to Crystal Howell, who chose Murphy along with fellow Randolph education professors Peggy Schimmoeller and Cheryl Lindeman.

“We nominated Taylor for several reasons,” Howell said. “In her education courses, Taylor engages enthusiastically and thoughtfully and asks questions that demonstrate her growing expertise in the major. She consistently meets our highest expectations for student work and excels in her other courses as well, as evidenced by her high GPA. Taylor collaborates generously with her program peers. We were delighted to nominate her and are pleased the scholarship committee recognized her promise as a teacher candidate.”