Kayla Truong

Your mother's teaching journey resonated with me as a fellow San Jose native and Spartan, from teaching preschool to elementary students! I am beyond grateful for the Kathleen L. Small Teaching Scholarship, as the funds will alleviate the costs of my last semester at San Jose State, and I am one step closer to obtaining my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Master of Arts in Teaching. Recently, I finished student teaching in first grade, and I passed Cycle 1 of my California Teaching Performance Assessment. I aspire to become a transformative educator like your mother. Thank you so much for your support!

Imani Jenkins

I am deeply honored to be selected as the recipient of the Kathleen L. Small Teaching Scholarship. This award is not just financial support; it is the encouragement I needed to continue my journey to becoming an educator in California. Knowing that this scholarship was created in memory of your mother, a lifelong educator, makes it even more meaningful to me. Her legacy, through your generosity, serves as an inspiration to dedicate myself fully to the teaching profession and positively impact the lives of students, just as she did. Thank you for believing in and supporting aspiring teachers like me. I’m already so much closer now to achieving my goal, and this has been such a big help!

Autumn Graham

Teaching is my passion and while I don’t do it for the recognition, I do appreciate it. It’s not always easy, but there’s nothing I’d rather do. Working on my degree as a full time teacher and single mother has been an incredible journey- incredibly educational, incredibly emotional, incredibly difficult, and above all, incredibly rewarding. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship.