University of Houston-Clear Lake’s School of Education named graduate student Sharon E. Karriker and undergraduate student Melissa Arias as recipients of the prestigious Dr. Patricia Potter Wilson School of Education Outstanding Graduate and Undergraduate Student Scholarships. Winners are chosen based on their academic achievements and demonstrated leadership capabilities. Karriker will complete a Master of Science in Instructional Technology in May 2008; Arias will complete a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with EC-4 Bilingual Generalist Certification in May 2009. Pictured are UH- Clear Lake School of Education Dean Dennis Spuck, Melissa Arias, Sharon Karriker, Dr. Pat Potter Wilson, UH- Clear Lake President William A. Staples and Wendell Wilson.

UH-Clear Lake School of Education names outstanding students

HOUSTON, January 3, 2008 —IUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake graduate student Sharon E. Karriker and undergraduate Melissa Arias were named the recipients of the prestigious Dr. Patricia Potter Wilson School of Education Outstanding Graduate and Undergraduate Student Scholarships. Winners are chosen based on their academic achievements and demonstrated leadership capabilities.
 
Karriker is the first School of Education scholarship recipient who will complete her Master of Instructional Technology degree online. She is currently a campus instructional technologist for the Killeen Independent School District where she assists teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms and educational programs.
“Kids today are different than when we were children,” she says. “They live in a digital world. We, as educators, need to be prepared to meet their needs and not have them come into the classroom and power down.

“We need to know at least as much as they do, or be willing to learn.”

Karriker is often asked to provide professional development training for teachers and administrators district-wide, and she is currently working to provide distance learning for the teachers. Demonstrating leadership abilities, Karriker served on two technology committees including one which developed long-range technology plans for the district, and the second being the district’s strategic planning committee. She has also held multiple leadership positions within the Killeen Chapter of the Texas Classroom Teacher’s Association (TCTA), and is currently a District XII Director on the State Board of TCTA.
Karriker will complete her degree in May 2008.

Undergraduate student Arias completed the Early High School Graduation Scholarship Program at Deer Park High School at age 16, finishing in the top 15 percent of her class. That same year she also served as a bilingual teacher’s aide, tutoring a first-grader from Mexico.

“That was one of the moments that made me decide to not only pursue education – but bilingual education…knowing that there were so many students out there like her made me really want to make use of being bilingual,” says Arias.

It also helped that Arias’ mother is a bilingual teacher who acquired English language skills after moving to the United States. She has served as an inspiration for her daughter.
Arias has been active in the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI) while attending classes at the UH-Clear Lake. She helped organize a bilingual selection for the First Book Reading Community Outreach Day and participated in several Even Start sessions at the bilingual Head Start program. She will complete her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with EC-4 Bilingual Generalist Certification in May 2009.

“It’s awesome that people out there are willing to help us out and help the kids in the long run,” says Karriker. “Other people are making a difference – maybe in the future I can give back in the same type way.”
Karriker and Arias were each presented a plaque by UH-Clear Lake School of Education Dean Dennis W. Spuck, while family, friends, the Wilsons and UH-Clear Lake President William A. Staples looked on. The two winners’ names have also been added to a permanent wall plaque on display in the dean’s office suite.
The endowment creating the awards was established 10 years ago by UH-Clear Lake School of Education Associate Professor Emerita Patricia Potter Wilson and her husband, Wendell Wilson, a retired captain for Delta Airlines.

Wilson, a retired educator, is also a community leader, business owner and author. She frequently serves as a member of various organizations and boards in Houston and the Clear Lake area. Wendell Wilson is also an avid community supporter, who enjoys working as a volunteer for non-profit organizations in the Clear Lake and Galveston areas.

   
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