SOE student Andreas Kidane B.S. ‘10, a candidate in the special education credential program, has been selected as one of five secondary education finalists for the 2021 Teachers Test Prep “Pass the Torch” Teacher Scholarships. The “Pass the Torch” scholarship is designed to assist recipients with living expenses while earning their credentials. The annual program awards two $5,000 scholarships annually, one to a prospective elementary school teacher and one to a prospective secondary school teacher.
While studying for his CSET exams earlier this year on the Teachers Test Prep website, Kidane came across the scholarship and was inspired to apply. “Every dollar towards tuition is a win,” Kidane says. Kidane, who received his B.S. from LMU in 2010 and M.P.S. from Sweden’s Stockholm University in 2012, is a part of the 2021 Los Angeles Teach for America cohort partnered with LMU. “It was a pleasant surprise when I heard from TFA that I’d be attending LMU for my credentialing.”
After receiving his master’s degree, Kidane began working as a conflict researcher in Kenya where he became a resident for about seven years. While working with community organizations that focused on young adults, he spent more of his time doing office work. “I kept getting farther and farther away from where the rubber meets the road,” Kidane says.” Unfulfilled and wanting to move back to the U.S., Kidane transitioned to become an instructional aide, and now serves as a resource teacher for 9th graders who have individualized education plans (IEPs) at Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High School in South Los Angeles. “I’ve always thought the work that public school teachers do is one of the most important in society.”
By Nyla Manuel, a graduate student in the creative-writing program at LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts.
