The Jane Austen Summer Program is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 teacher scholarships! We can’t wait to see them at JASP this June.
“We are excited to welcome these phenomenal educators into our 2022 teacher cohort,” says Caitlin Donovan, teacher scholarship co-chair and a former scholarship winner herself. “We look forward to celebrating scholarship as we explore how to engage our students in the nuance, depth, and complexities of both Austen and Shakespeare. We know this opportunity will provide our teachers a chance to relax, refresh, and reengage after a challenging year.”
Read on to meet our scholars.
Heidi Ahlstrom-Miller
School: North Branford High School; North Branford, Conn.
What subject/grade do you teach? 9th- through 12th-grade English, including British literature.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote:
"For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy." -- "Henry VI, Part 3"
Victoria H. Allen
School: Montford North Star Academy; Asheville, N.C.
What subject/grade do you teach? 8th-grade English/language arts.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” -- "All's Well That Ends Well"
Helana E. Brigman
School: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics — Morganton; Morganton, N.C.
What subject/grade do you teach? 11th and 12th grade.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: “Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” -- "Emma"
Deborah L. Burroughs
School: J.D. Clement Early College High School; Durham, N.C.
What subject/grade do you teach? English I and II.
Joselyn Diaz
School: North Wake College and Career Academy; Wake Forest, N.C.
What subject/grade do you teach? 11th-grade English, 12th-grade English, and 12th-grade AP Literature and Composition.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: "To thine own self be true." -- "Hamlet"
Diana Hayes
School: Signal Mountain Christian School; Signal Mountain, Tenn.
What subject/grade do you teach? Fifth grade; literature, history, Bible and writing.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: “There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.” -- "Emma"
Blair Lewis
School: International School of Louisiana; New Orleans.
What subject/grade do you teach? Eighth-grade social studies.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: "To love is to burn -- to be on fire, like Juliet or Guinevere or Eloise." -- "Sense and Sensibility"
Liz Vande Water
School: Campbell County High School; Alexandria, Ky.
What subject/grade do you teach? Pre AP English II, AP English Literature and Composition, English 101 and English 102.
Statement: "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and grow as part of the Jane Austen Summer Program!"
Gabrielle Williamson
School: Enloe Magnet High School; Raleigh, N.C.
What subject/grade do you teach? 10th- and 11th-grade English.
Favorite Jane Austen/Shakespeare quote: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." -- "Hamlet"