Nailah Shah-Taylor awarded scholarship
Nailah Shah-Taylor
Nancy Larson Foundation Scholar
Bronx, NY ( March 21, 2017 ) – SUNY College of Buffalo student Nailah Shah-Taylor has been named a Nancy Larson Foundation Scholar and awarded a $1000 scholarship in recognition of her inspiring personal narrative, excellent academic record and spirit of community service.
The Nancy Larson Foundation proudly supports students across the country majoring in elementary education by awarding scholarships to deserving students each year. Shah-Taylor is one of five recipients selected from the many applications received by the Foundation.
In her personal narrative, Nailah explained why she was inspired to become a teacher. “In kindergarten, I had a teacher named Ms. Haynes who cared for me and showed great interest in me because she saw potential. She was like my mom away from home and I loved going to school knowing she would be there to teach me new things and challenge me to be the best scholar that I could be. From then on, I aspired to be a teacher when I got older. Knowing how I was influenced to such a great extent by a teacher, I was inspired to be an effective teacher who shows great patience for all different types of learners.”
“Nailah really touched our committee with her experiences as a young student in New York. Those experiences and her kindergarten teacher inspired her to want to become a teacher to help other students succeed,” said Nancy Larson.
Juniors, seniors and graduate students who have declared an elementary education major are invited to submit a personal narrative about why they want to teach, what personal experiences they have had that inspired them to teach and what will make them excellent teachers. Applicants are also asked to include community service activities and experiences they have had working with children.
Larson, a former teacher and curriculum director, has dedicated her life to advancing elementary education. Her original Saxon Math K–4 program was developed because teachers needed a classroom-tested math program that would prepare children for advanced math classes. In recent years, Larson has used the same approach to develop Nancy Larson Science for kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The program was written to provide in-depth science content in an easy-to-teach format.