The Grow Our Own Teachers Initiative, in the College of Education (COE), is recruiting its seventh cohort of students for the Spring 2024 Semester. With the renewal of the program, nearly $1 million in scholarship stipends will be available to eligible students.
“We are so thrilled and proud to be able to offer these tuition stipends to another cohort of Grow Our Own students,” said Dean Nathan Murata. “This would not be possible without the immense support of the Hawai’i Department of Education (HIDOE) and Senator Kidani who are committed to ensuring that we are preparing the next generation of school leaders.”
As part of the application process, priority will be given to HIDOE employees (emergency hires, substitutes, educational assistants) in secondary and elementary school settings and those seeking licensure in HIDOE Federal Teacher Shortage Areas (English, English as Second Language, Hawaiian Immersion, Hawaiian Knowledge, Hawaiian Language, Hawaiian Studies, Mathematics, Science, World Languages). Applicants who are not HIDOE employees or seeking licensure in shortage areas are still eligible and encouraged to apply.
Grow Our Own stipends are available for students who have been admitted into the college’s Bachelor in Elementary Education & Hawaiian Language Immersion and Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) programs for fall 2023, and for students who are applying to the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Elementary Education (PBCTE) and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education (PBCTE) programs for spring 2024.
“I have worked in education for over 10 years in a variety of support positions,” said Renee Rivette, 2022 MEdT admit and 2023 GOO recipient. “I have also carried a student loan debt burden that, despite having made many payments over the last 13 years, has not decreased at all. The GOO program funding has allowed me to continue my education and take the next step in a career that I am passionate about, and I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
The new cohort of candidates will be eligible to apply for teacher licensure from the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) upon graduation and will be required to teach full time for at least three years for the HIDOE or charter schools in the state.
Apply by October 1, 2023.
Complete the GOO application here.
Sign-up for an informational session in September here.
General Information Inquiries: uhmgoo@hawaii.edu / (808) 956-4523
See GOO flyer for more information.
