MACON – Mercer University alumnus Ryan McGuire was recently named to the second class of Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows, a highly competitive program that recruits recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in the STEM fields and prepares them to teach in high-need secondary schools.
McGuire, from Kennesaw, is set to begin a master’s degree program in education at the University of West Chester this fall. He earned his bachelor’s degree, with a major in chemistry and minors in biology and economics, from Mercer in May.
“The opportunity to be a Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania Teaching Fellow is extremely exciting,” said McGuire. “Teaching has always interested me, and there are so many things that I wish to be able to do for future students. Not only do I hope to educate students on the academic aspects of life, but I also hope to be able to help students learn about all of the different aspects of life. One of the biggest things that I am hoping to learn from the fellowship is how to be supportive to any student. Everyone goes home to different situations, and I am just hoping to be a constant source of support in someone’s life who may not feel supported regularly.”
At Mercer, McGuire was involved in intramurals, club volleyball and served as a videographer for the football team high atop the Five Star Stadium scoreboard during home games.
“Being awarded the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship is a tremendous honor and provides Ryan a wonderful opportunity to earn his master’s degree in education,” said Dr. Kevin Bucholtz, professor of chemistry and director of undergraduate research. “Ryan is extremely well suited for the program because he was a very successful chemistry major and participated in a variety of interests and activities outside of his degree program. He will be excellent at preparing high school students to enter the STEM pipeline.”
McGuire is among 28 individuals in the second cohort of Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows who will begin master’s degree programs at Duquesne University, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and West Chester University.
Each Fellow receives $32,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master’s program based on a yearlong clinical experience – including schools’ current remote and virtual learning arrangements. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in high-need Pennsylvania schools. Throughout the three-year commitment as a teacher of record at a public school, Fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.
The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship launched in Pennsylvania in 2018. To date, more than 1,200 teachers have been prepared through the program in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.
Mercer was one of five institutions to participate in the Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship Program from 2014-2020.
About the Woodrow Wilson Foundation
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society. In June 2020, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the organization and to remove Woodrow Wilson from its name; a new name will be announced by early fall.
