Academics, Volunteer Services Earn WHREA Scholarships

Graduating seniors Kathryn Holz and Carlyn Vautin, are the recipients of the Class of 2012  Education Association Scholarship for Future Educators. They were chosen because of their strong academic records, their commitment to extra-curricular activities and community service, said selection committee co-chair, guidance counselor Joseph Toye.

They know that they want to be teachers, and, for the seventh year in a row, members of the Watchung Hills Regional Education Association are helping them achieve that ambition. 

At the Class of 2012 Awards Assembly set for June 21st, the future teachers, Holz of Warren and Vautin of Stirling, will each be awarded an $800 scholarship to help with college expenses next year.

The scholarships were fully funded by donations from individual members on the staff, said Toye, who added that “members have always been very supportive of students who choose to pursue education as a career.”

Since 2006, the association has awarded over $8,000 in scholarship support. For both Holz and Vautin, being connected to education in some way has always been a priority. Both attribute community activities as the initial source of interest in education, and both state that positive interactions with teachers helped solidify and confirm their desire to become educators themselves.

Holz has always been an excellent student; with the exception of only two classes, she’s earned a straight A average! She’s logged close to 300 hours of community service, worked as a camp volunteer with Chinese girls, and became interested in helping students with special needs from her own participation in Watchung Hills’ Peer Outreach class.

Accepted at both a private college and a state school, Holz will nevertheless begin her studies in the field of special education teaching at Raritan Valley Community College in the fall. As a NJ STARS recipient, she says she’ll use the money she saves on tuition for future education costs.

Even as a little girl, Vautin knew that teaching would be in her future. And that interest only grew as she matured. Taking academically challenging courses and Advanced Placement classes left her little time for electives, but when she managed to fit “Introduction to Early Childhood” into her schedule, she knew where her future lay. She will go into Early Childhood Education next fall at the University of North Carolina (Wilmington). 

Carlyn, too, has spent many hours in volunteer work. She’s been in Girl Scouting since age six, and her community service as a Scout has also offered a connection to teaching. She was afforded the opportunity to work with younger girls as a mentor and counselor, served as a counselor at the Jockey Hollow Girl Scout Day Camp for four years.

“I really developed a passion for working with 5- and 6-year-olds,” she said. At Watchung Hills, she’s been a four-year member of the lacrosse team and a leading member of several service groups.