Scholarship recipient hopes to pass on passion for reading | News | University of North Texas

Donors Byron Killen, far left, and Jan Killen, far right, pose with UNT senior Atticus Shaskan, middle, at the College of Education scholarship banquet Oct. 24. Shaskan received four scholarships from the College of Education to help him pay for his last year of school. Photo credit: DuranPhotography.com.

DENTON (UNT), Texas - As a high school student, Atticus Shaskan was captivated by classics like The Great Gatsby, 1984 and Flowers for Algernon.

Now a senior at the University of North Texas, Shaskan is pursuing a degree in education in hopes of helping other high school students develop the same love of reading his teachers gave him.

Shaskan was recently awarded four scholarships from the College of Education to help pay for his last year of school. Without the scholarships, Shaskan said he might not have been able complete his education.

"My highest hope for my future students is that they become independently interested in reading," said Shaskan, 22, who graduated from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst. "Reading can be a lifelong pursuit, and it can bestow incredible benefits on us."

The College of Education handed out roughly $150,000 in scholarships to 131 students, including Shaskan, who spoke at the college's annual scholarship banquet Oct. 24 (Thursday) at Apogee Stadium. The banquet was sponsored by Verizon.

Byron Killen, a longtime donor to the college, also spoke at the banquet. Killen and his wife, Jan, created the Bessie and Joe Killen Education Scholarship, intended for full-time undergraduate and graduate students majoring in education and seeking teacher certification.

To learn more about how philanthropic support is transforming UNT or to make a gift, visit http://giving.unt.edu.

About UNT's College of Education

UNT's College of Education prepares students to contribute to the advancement of education, health and human development. Founded in 1890 as a teacher's training college, UNT now enrolls more than 4,000 students in the College of Education and certifies about 1,000 teachers a year - making it the largest producer of new teachers in the north Texas region.

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UNT student wins nationally competitive scholarship to attend conference | News | University of North Texas

DENTON (UNT), Texas - Tyler Brewer, a second-year Master of Public Administration student at the University of North Texas, received the nationally competitive Edwin O. Stene Academic Scholarship from ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, to attend the group's conference Sept. 22 - 25 in Boston.

In addition to the $1,000 stipend, the Stene Scholarship - which is named in memory of a Kansas University professor - provides the recipient with registration to the ICMA Annual Conference.

"I'll meet city managers and public officials from all across the country and get a four-day sweeping overview of their ideas and how things are run across the country," Brewer said. "It's a huge honor."

Brewer, whose father runs a nonprofit called the Downtown Alliance that promotes economic development in San Antonio, said he hopes to work in city management after graduation.

"I was always exposed to and interested in how cities run and their dynamics," said Brewer, who earned an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Washington. "And then after I graduated, I ended up working for a year for an urban planner in Seattle, and that just furthered my interest and exposure in city issues and how cities are run. UNT's program is really highly ranked, so I decided to come back to Texas and pursue my MPA degree and turn my interest in city issues into a tangible career opportunity."

Brewer works as a management intern with the Town of Fairview, where he receives day-to-day experience in city management that helps him apply what he learns in class.

"This would be the most rewarding career path for me, to directly see how my actions are helping people out and maximizing the public good," he said.

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