WGU Nevada loves teachers, and so does the Clark County School District! On October 17, WGU Nevada and the Superintendent of the school district surprised Leticia Gonsalves of Decker Elementary School with a scholarship check for $5,000 to go toward her education.

“Growing up, teaching never crossed my mind,” Gonsalves said. “While taking a philosophy class I had an assignment where I interviewed my great grandmother and through our conversation I learned that her highest level of education was sixth grade. That was the moment I decided I would be the first in my family to graduate college and wanted to become a teacher to honor her.”

WGU Nevada offered Leticia Gonsalves the opportunity to pursue her teaching degree while already working. Her short-term goal is to improve her school’s curriculum and instruction to in order to better serve her students. Her long-term goal is to become a strategist or academic coach mentoring other teachers on curriculum and instruction. Using her degree, she will have an increased knowledge on the subjects, be able to build networks with other educators, and she will have the foundation to reach higher educational goals. Her degree from WGU Nevada, and the skills and expertise she acquired along the way, have prepared her to accomplish those goals and many more.

Nevada also has the nation’s largest class sizes, according to the 2018 National Education Association report. More teachers can help with those larger class sizes, and students like Gonsalves who pursued a higher degree, are filling those spots and educating our state’s youth.

Gonsalves’ scholarship was awarded during a ceremony which also touched on the opportunities that exist in the teaching profession and the importance of addressing the teacher shortage in Nevada. For more information about the teaching degrees available from WGU, visit the Teachers College online.