Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars
Contact Us
Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars
Maria Dantas-Whitney
Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars Program Coordinator
Office: RWEC 222
Phone: (503) 838-8636
Email: dantasm@wou.edu
Julian Elizalde
Teacher Pathway Navigator
Office: RWEC 261
Phone: (503) 838-9781
Email: elizaldej@wou.edu
Bringing multiculturalism and bilingualism into schools
Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars Programs align resources and opportunities for students to attend WOU and become licensed teachers. As part of this program, you’ll receive academic support, individualized advising, and professional development opportunities. Upon completion, you may receive preferred hiring in your home school district. The scholarship is renewed annually, as long as you get strong grades and make expected progress towards graduation.
Make an impact on the quality of education for all learners in your community and across Oregon
Receive a scholarship up to $3,000 per year to help cover tuition and expenses
Earn your teaching license plus an ESOL endorsement so you’re ready to enter the classroom after graduation
Eligibility criteria
Bilingual Teacher Scholars Program
- Bilingual in Spanish and English (Please note: You will be asked to complete WOU’s online Spanish placement test in order to demonstrate your Spanish language skills)
- Admitted to Western Oregon University as an incoming undergraduate student: a high school student on track to graduate from an Oregon high school; or a transfer student from an Oregon community college planning to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Education
or - Admitted to Western Oregon University as an incoming graduate student: entering either the Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary Education), or the M.S. in Education (Special Education K-12), or the M.S. in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education program.
Diverse Teacher Scholars Program
- Ethnically diverse or a heritage speaker of a language other than English (Please note: WOU utilizes the definition of “diverse” specified in ORS 342.433)
- Admitted to Western Oregon University as an incoming undergraduate student: a high school student on track to graduate from an Oregon high school; or a transfer student from an Oregon community college planning to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Education
or - Admitted to Western Oregon University as an incoming graduate student: entering either the Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary Education), or the M.S. in Education (Special Education K-12), or the M.S. in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education program.
Note: To remain eligible for participation, scholarship recipients must register for and complete 36 credits each academic year, and maintain 2.75 cumulative WOU GPA (2.5 cumulative WOU GPA during freshman year).
Application Instructions
Incoming Undergraduate Students:
Apply to Western Oregon University online at: wou.edu/admission (click the “Apply Now” button). A separate scholarship application is not required. If you meet the eligibility criteria for the Bilingual/Diverse Teacher Scholars Program, please indicate your interest in this award by answering “Yes” to the following questions on the WOU admissions application:
- Are you interested in a career in teaching? ☒ Yes ☐ No
- As a leader in the field of teacher education, WOU offers financial awards to bilingual (Spanish), ethnically diverse, and/or heritage speakers for both incoming freshmen and transfer students. Click here for eligibility criteria and more information. Do you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to be considered for this award? ☒ Yes ☐ No
We will consider your application for the Bilingual/Diverse Teacher scholarship on a rolling basis. In other words, there is no specific deadline for your application. However, we encourage you to apply as early as possible in order to maximize your chances of receiving the award!
We also encourage you to apply for other WOU scholarships. Applications for general WOU scholarships open on November 1 and close on March 1. For more information, please check out this flyer.
Incoming Graduate Students:
Please contact Olivia Flores, Education Advisor,
for information about the deadlines for your specific graduate program:
Office: RWEC 164
Email: floreso@wou.edu
Our goals
- Seek outstanding undergraduate and graduate students who are ethnically diverse, bilingual, and bicultural, interested in education careers
- Build a network of ethnically diverse and bilingual educators from across the state who can learn and grow together, and support each other
- Braid district and university funds to support all students
- Provide scholarship and remission opportunities to all qualifying students
- Facilitate quarterly professional development activities and leadership opportunities for future educators
- Organize a yearly Multicultural Teacher Conference where candidates and teachers can network and share effective approaches for supporting K-12 students and their families
- Focus on academic success, multicultural education, and dual language development. Bilingual/Diverse Teacher Scholars earn a teaching license plus an ESOL endorsement
- Students in the Bilingual Teacher Scholars Program complete academic coursework in both Spanish and English and receive the Bilingual/ESOL Certificate
- Provide the highest quality advising and mentorship
- Support test prep and tutoring to assure ability to pass required educator tests
- Offer summer and school year employment in home district or other agencies
- Assure student teaching placements in home district (when possible)
- Arrange “first to interview” status
- Change the world through excellence in education!
Our students
The BTS program helped me form a community at WOU, because my fellow BTS scholars and I help each other in both academic and extracurricular activities.
El programa BTS me ayudó a formar una comunidad en WOU ya que mis compañeros que son parte del programa BTS y yo nos ayudamos en lo académico y en lo extracurricular.
If it weren’t for the BTS program I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m thankful for the resources, friendships, and for the enormous amount of support that the program has given me.
No sé dónde estaría hoy si no fuera por el programa BTS de maestros bilingües. Estoy agradecida por los recursos, amistades, y por el gran apoyo que el programa me ha brindado.
Being part of the BTS program has given me great opportunities to achieve my professional dreams.
Ser parte del programa BTS me ha brindado grandes oportunidades para alcanzar mis sueños profesionales.
Current Students:
If you are a current education major at WOU who is bilingual in Spanish-English, and not already part of the Bilingual Teacher Scholars program, you can become a Bilingual Fellow to take advantage of these supports and professional development opportunities! You will become part of a dynamic peer network of bilingual teacher candidates!
Please sign up to become a Bilingual Fellow by completing this form: https://forms.gle/HcSJvnHT5BEpAVmBA
In the News
Check out these news articles and interviews about the Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars Program!
- Oregon is facing a teacher shortage. This program is training the next generation of bilingual and diverse educators (OPB)
- Mid-Valley’s teachers aren’t as diverse as its students. But a WOU plan may change that (Salem Statesman Journal)
- Independence Elementary launches English-Spanish immersion program (Polk County Itemizer-Observer)
Stories from Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars
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Bilingual and Diverse Teacher Scholars Program Receives Generous Scholarships from Unitus Credit Union
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COE debuts new video highlighting Bilingual Teacher Scholars
The College of Education and Q-Loop Productions debuted a new video about WOU’s Bilingual Teacher Scholars program in late January – an ambitious program that aims to help Oregon’s teaching force more closely match the state’s increasingly diverse student demographics.
