January 1998

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English Major Awarded New Scholarship

When Lori Ann Gauthier looks for her first teaching job, she will have accumulated an impressive resume to show prospective employers. She entered UMass Boston with a Chancellor's scholarship. She has completed the Leadership Development program, and is about to complete coursework for the CAS Honors program. An English major, she is working on her English honors thesis, on "shadow figure" motifs in fairy tales and vampire tales. Gauthier has maintained over a 3.8 grade point average while working part-time, and is now taking courses towards her undergraduate teacher certification.

This fall, Gauthier became the first recipient of the Genevieve Keohane Burlingame scholarship, a $3,000 grant given to a student or students from Boston who shows promise of creativity in the classroom. "I was surprised to find out that I was the only one to receive the scholarship," says Gauthier. "I see it as proof of the University's belief that I will be an effective teacher."

Gauthier was able to thank her benefactor and talk with veteran teachers when she attended a tea for Mrs. Burlingame and the Class of 1946 of The Teachers College of the City of Boston in October. "I was happy to talk with Mrs. Burlingame and her classmates about teaching, and tell them about my plans," she says.

"One of the things that strikes me about Lori Ann is how she has grown and blossomed in the time I have known her," says Prof. Monica McAlpine, director of the CAS Honors Program, who has known Gauthier since her freshman year. "She's ambitious, and has taken advantage of every opportunity while here."

Gauthier plans to teach third or fourth graders in the Boston Public Schools. As a lifelong resident of Dorchester, she hopes to serve children of the neighborhood where she grew up