WGU Tennessee – a nonprofit, online university – recently surprised Rockvale teacher Alyssa Ayers with a $10,000 Tenn-K Scholarship, which will cover up to 75% of the costs of her degree. Ayers is the second of 10 Tennesseans to be awarded a Tenn-K Scholarship in 2022.
Ayers learned that she had been awarded the Tenn-K scholarship during a surprise ceremony at Rockvale Elementary School with her teaching colleagues and Kimberly K. Estep, Chancellor of WGU Tennessee.
“It is truly inspiring when hardworking individuals like Alyssa come to WGU Tennessee to earn a master’s degree that will not only further their education, but that of their students as well,” Estep said. “We are excited to aid in her progress toward her goals by awarding her a Tenn-K Scholarship.”
Ayers has intentionally paired her natural ability to engage children with the valuable lessons of leadership, teamwork and organization she has learned throughout her life. During her time as an educator, Ayers has recognized the need for unique and engaging ways to present content to students and decided to pursue a flexible degree that allows her to build on these skills.
With her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from WGU Tennessee, Ayers will grow her expertise in the classroom by implementing additional skills that will help her create and develop curricula that make a difference in the lives of her students. She hopes to use her degree from WGU as a foundation for continued learning in the future.
“The knowledge that I gained during my undergraduate degree was extremely beneficial in my first few years as a teacher, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to gain more knowledge by pursuing a master’s degree,” Ayers said. “I am blessed with the opportunity to be in children’s lives every day, and I want to be able to do the best job possible. I believe that getting my master’s will benefit not only myself but all of the students I will teach during my career.”
The Tenn-K scholarship is awarded based on students’ academic records, readiness for online study, and demonstrated financial need. WGU offers more than 60 online undergraduate and graduate programs in business, K–12 education, health, and information technology, where tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most programs. To learn more about the scholarship, please visit tennessee.wgu.edu/tennk.
