Senior José Lopez has wanted to become a teacher since kindergarten. With help from the Robert D. Gimmi Scholarship, he is on his way to achieving that dream.
“Growing up as a first-gen student and in a life where I had to overcome many things to be where I am today, I value the importance of education,” said José , who is majoring in early childhood and special education. He said he is “profoundly grateful” to his benefactor and aspires
to be a teacher “to motivate the future of our nation to overcome any obstacle.”
If this goal sounds lofty, José has proven he is up to the task. In high school, he founded Books of
Hope, a non-profit that provides books to children in hospitals. Motivated by his niece who was hospitalized with brain cancer, he coordinated the collection of 2,000 books. Since that first year, his organization has donated more than 26,000 books.
José chose Shippensburg because “the faculty in the Teacher Education Department are as passionate about education as I am, and the lab school was like none other I had seen.” José is now a student worker at the Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School, tutoring and assisting students in reading, writing, and math. He also has served as a Peer Teacher Leader in the department.
José will graduate in May and begin his career living out his passion for education and service to others.