Two Alma Exley Scholars, Desi Nesmith and Jessica Raugitinane, represented UConn’s Neag School of Education on a recent visit to the capitol in Washington, D.C.

Dean Thomas DeFranco invited them to join him for a Day on the Hill, an annual event organized by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

Ms. Raugitinane, the 2012 recipient of the Alma Exley Memorial Scholarship, recently completed her junior year in the five-year Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Program at the University of Connecticut. She is home for the summer in Alexandria, Va.

Mr. Nesmith, honored as an Alma Exley Scholar in 2000, is principal of Metacomet School in Bloomfield, Conn. He holds bachelor’s and graduate degrees from UConn.

Joining them was Tara Murphy, a 2006 graduate of UConn, who has taught for six years at a public elementary school in Fairfax County, Va., where she was named the First-Year Teacher of the Year. Also participating were Associate Dean Marijke Kehrhahn and Assistant Dean Yuhang Rong.

Ms. Raugitinane called the two-day event an “educational and inspirational experience.”

“I am extremely honored to have been a part of this event,” she said. “I learned so much about education and the politics affecting it. I am now more motivated to continue learning about educational politics so I can be an effective advocate for education and voice for my college peers.”

The group visited offices of the members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation. They discussed educational issues with legislative aides for Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3rd District), Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th), and Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5th).

Dean DeFranco said the group’s main message was that Congress should not paint all teacher-preparation programs with the same negative broad brush stroke. Rather, he said, Congress should identify centers of excellence and use resources wisely in encouraging the sharing of best practices.

Mr. Nesmith, Ms. Raugitinane, and Ms. Murphy shared with the congressional aides some of the lessons they have learned from the Neag School, and described why the school has been producing effective educators.

The group also met with a number of the representatives of other educator-preparation programs who were attending from 34 other states.

“This was a great opportunity to meet and share ideas and concerns with educational leaders from around the country,” Mr. Nesmith said. “And when we visited the congressional offices, we had the opportunity to let them know about the impact of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program.”

– Woody Exley

Posted June 27, 2012

Alma Exley Scholars continue to distinguish themselves in the classroom and the community. Violet Jiménez Sims, whom we honored in 2008, was the keynote speaker at a program in remembrance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Spottswood A.M.E. Zion Church in New Britain on Jan. 16, 2012.

Ms. Jiménez Sims is a Spanish teacher and co-advisor of the African American Club at New Britain High School.

Civic leaders who spoke included Timothy O’Brien, mayor of New Britain, and Ron Davis, president of the New Britain NAACP.

Ms. Jiménez Sims recalled the Rev. Dr. King as a leader who changed history through the force of his intellect and the power of his words. “He showed us how to fight injustice without violence,” she said. “He gave his life for equality.”

Reflecting on the history of our country, she said the suffering of the African American people has created a rich culture of courage and creativity.

“For every success story, however, there are still too many drop-outs and too many brothers in prison,” she said. “The effects of slavery and racism on our society have not been dissolved.”

Ms. Jiménez Sims pointed out that Connecticut has some of the country’s best public school systems as well as the largest achievement gap.

She called for more teachers of color, pointing out that less than 10 percent of public school teachers in Connecticut are persons of color while minorities account for 36 percent of public school students. And one-third of the state’s teachers of color are working in three major urban school systems.

I was pleased that she mentioned the Alma Exley Scholarship Program as an important initiative to encourage a more diverse teaching profession.

Ms. Jiménez Sims urged her audience to “take advantage of the freedoms that we do have, so that Dr. King’s sacrifice was not in vain.” And she said we need to continue working for racial harmony.

“What is racial harmony?” she asked. “I don’t believe in a ‘melting pot’ or a ‘color-blind society.’ A melting pot implies that we need to assimilate. Why can’t we validate and respect one another’s customs and beliefs?”

Ms. Jiménez Sims concluded by quoting the following words from the Rev. Dr. King:

“If you have never found something so dear and so precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.

“One day some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause – and you refuse to do it because you are afraid; you refuse to do it because you want to live longer; you’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you’re afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity… and so you refuse to take the stand.

“Well you may go on and live until you are 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.

“You died when you refused to stand up for right; you died when you refused to stand up for truth; you died when you refused to stand up for justice.”

As part of her presentation, Ms. Jiménez Sims read an essay that she had written about her reaction to the use of the N-word by teenagers today. The essay is featured in the In Their Own Words section of this website.

– Woody Exley

Posted January 20, 2012

It’s always to pleasure to learn about new developments in the careers of the students whom we have honored over the past 15 years.

The latest news to come my way was that Vernon-James Riley, our 2008 honoree, has taken a new position as Director of Operations at Amani Public Charter School, a new school created to make a difference for children in the predominantly poor South Side of Mount Vernon, N.Y.

In this position, he has responsibility for finance, facilities, human resources, purchasing, external affairs and fundraising. He is staging an open house and fundraiser on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, contact Mr. Riley at or check out the school’s website at www.amanicharter.org.

By the way, those of you who attended the reception when we honored Mr. Riley will remember his charming, elegant grandmother, Mrs. Ruby Riley, who came up from Harlem for the occasion. Vernon reports that she turned 91 this year, is in good health and good spirits, and has set her sights on 100.

Mr. Riley is exemplary of the great job that our dedicated, diverse selection committee has done over the years. As I write this, the committee is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new batch of applications by the Oct. 31 deadline.

We’re always impressed by the talent and commitment of the students who apply. And we’re always frustrated that we can recognize only one of the outstanding applicants from the traditional teacher-preparation programs. We look forward to the time when the endowment is large enough to support the awarding of multiple scholarships.

Looking back over the 15 years since we awarded the first Alma Exley Scholarship, it’s rewarding to realize that nearly all of our recipients remain in education. This is noteworthy since almost one-third of America’s teachers leave the field during their first three years of teaching, and almost half leave after five years. The attrition rate among those who enter teaching through an “alternative” pathway is even higher.

Four recipients have assumed positions of educational leadership. Another is pursuing a Ph.D. in educational leadership. Others are having an impact as teachers in the fields of science, English, social studies, special education, Spanish and elementary education.

To the best of my knowledge, the only recipient who has left teaching is Priscilla Noriega, a Yale graduate from Brownsville, Tex., who taught for two years before enrolling at the University of Texas Law School. Although she is not teaching, her position as a lawyer with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid enables her to advocate for students with regard to special education services and discipline issues. In this role, she continues to serve students in her home area of South Texas.

Needless to say, I’m proud of all of our outstanding recipients who are doing such important work. You can learn about all of them by clicking here to view our Previous Recipients page.

– Woody Exley

Posted October 19, 2011