The recipients of scholarships from the Fairfax County Retired Educators gather at a luncheon honoring their accomplishments on June 12. All of these students have plans to obtain a teaching career and some are hoping to return to teach in Fairfax County. From left: Talia Schmidt, a recipient of last year’s scholarship, Kimberley Drummond, Billie Johnson, president of FCRE, Sydney Kirwan, Elizabeth McCune, Phyllis Rittman, Julia Gurdak, John Dent, incoming president of FCRE, Sandra Richie, and Anna Barr. Not pictured: Scholarship recipient Emily Colon. Photo by Janelle Germanos.
Aspiring educators from across Fairfax County were honored for their accomplishments and presented with scholarships to help them begin their teaching careers at a luncheon and ceremony held by the Fairfax County Retired Educators on June 12 in Fairfax.
Every year, FCRE awards students interested in teaching careers with $2,000 scholarships. This year, the seven students were either graduates or soon-to-be graduates of high schools throughout Fairfax County, including Robinson, Lake Braddock, West Springfield, Marshall, Mclean and James Madison.
FCRE Scholarship Recipients
Anna Barr, Robinson Secondary School
Emily Colon, West Springfield High School
Kimberly Drummond, Lake Braddock Secondary
Julia Gurdak, Marshall High School
Sydney Kirwan, Lake Braddock Secondary School
Elizabeth McCune, McLean High School
Sandra Richie, James Madison High School
Anna Barr, recipient of one of the Bobbi Vest Memorial Scholarships, is a 2014 graduate of Robinson Secondary School. She will be attending the University of Virginia this fall.
“Education is something that I’ve been sure about for a long time now,” Barr said.
Kimberley Drummond, who graduates this June from Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the second recipient of the Bobbie Vest Memorial Scholarship. She will be attending William and Mary in the fall and hopes to return to Fairfax County.
“I hope that I have the privilege of working here like my mom does,” Drummond said.
Sydney Kirwan, another 2014 graduate of Lake Braddock, is a recipient of the W. Harold Ford Scholarship and will be attending the University of Virginia.
Emily Colon, a junior at Virginia Tech, is a graduate of West Springfield High School and the recipient of the Mary O. Ambler Scholarship.
Julia Gurdak, a graduate of Marshall High School, is the recipient of the Harriet B. Mika Memorial Scholarship and will be attending Vanderbilt University.
Sandra Richie, a graduate of James Madison High School, is the recipient of the Herbert Grady Carpenter Scholarship Award, presented by Apple Federal Credit Union. Richie attends James Madison University.
Elizabeth McCune is a graduate of McLean High School and will be attending Stanford University.
“I will always continue to learn so that I am knowledgeable and masterly among my subject’s contemporaries in order to provide students high caliber instruction,” she said.
Karen Garza, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, was a special guest speaker at the luncheon. Garza spoke to the future of schools in Fairfax County and current events in the county.
“It’s been a busy year, but a good busy,” Garza said.