by Leah Jackson
Kyle Scott of Bossier City is this year’s recipient of the Big Al’s Rock It Scholarship. An education major at Northwestern State University, Scott is vice president of the Call Me MISTER program, which aims to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader and more diverse background, shortening the percentage of minorities in the classroom.
“We serve the community by going to local elementary schools, volunteering, helping teachers and students,” said Scott, who is majoring in health and physical education and plans to teach K-12.
The scholarship was created in 2017 by the Rev. Eric Williams, pastor of The Rock Church in Shreveport. Eligible recipients must maintain a 2.5 or better grade point average with preference given to a student from the Shreveport-Bossier City area.
Scott is part of the first cohort of MISTER students. The initiative seeks to recruit African American males to become teachers and mentors at low-performing schools. MISTER is an acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models. As a Call Me MISTER campus, NSU is part of a highly acclaimed recruitment and support program that includes a national network of universities.
Prospective MISTERS must be a minority male and come from an underserved, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and/or educationally at-risk community. They must major in early childhood education, elementary education, health and physical education or music education and demonstrate a record of high scholastic achievement and participation in extra-curricular and community service activities.
Applications for Call me MISTER are reviewed on a competitive basis each spring for consideration for cohorts that begin each fall semester. Preference is given to graduating high school seniors, two-year community college transfers and first-year college freshmen. Eligible candidates are selected based on their potential for teaching and their motivation for participation in the program.
For more information, visit the website below or contact program coordinator Ramona Wynder at wynderr@nsula.edu or (318) 357.4549 or visit https://education.nsula.edu/callmemister/.
Visit Northwestern State University Website: https://www.nsula.edu/
