College of Education celebrates scholarship recipients, donors
The East Carolina University College of Education celebrated students and donors during the annual scholarship recipient and donor recognition ceremony on Sept. 6. More than $800,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to education students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Lexi Lozner, center, was this year’s student scholarship recipient speaker. She was awarded the Burney and Judy Warren Scholarship for full-time seniors or graduate students pursuing a degree in special education. (Photo by Kristen Martin)
“Education has been a focus of this university since its inception more than 100 years ago,” said Dr. André Green, College of Education dean. “Nonetheless, we want it noted that ECU is not only concerned with producing the most educators; we are also deeply committed to producing the highest quality educators. In addition, the College of Education is committed to preparing talented education professionals in many fields, including counseling, adult education, educational leadership and library science, to name a few. It is inspiring to see how our donors are making it possible for these exceptional individuals to pursue their passions and impact the lives of others in a positive way.”
Almost 150 awards were given to graduate and undergraduate students from all six departments in addition to the five four-year awards given to 14 first-year students. This year’s student speaker, Lexi Lozner, a senior special education major from Greenville, has benefitted from one of the four-year awards — the James H. and Connie M. Maynard Scholarship — in addition to receiving the North Carolina Teaching Fellows award, the Honors College Centennial Fellows scholarship, and this year’s Burney and Judy Warren Scholarship. She said that receiving the phone call that she was a Maynard Scholar during her senior year of high school in 2021 was life changing.
“ECU had always been my first choice because of its reputation for producing amazing educators, but the cost of going to college was a worry for my family,” she said. “When I received the call from Dr. Dionna Manning, I just broke down in tears. Knowing that the financial burden would be lifted off of my parents’ shoulders was something that I am so eternally grateful for.”
In addition to recognizing scholarship recipients, the ceremony also acknowledged the important role that donors play in students’ lives.
“For many of our students, the importance of scholarships and financial aid cannot be overstated,” said Christopher Dyba, vice chancellor for University Advancement. “Today’s shifting economy poses a significant challenge, but donors like you turn our students’ dreams into a reality. To our generous donors, thank you for investing in our students and making it possible for them to pursue their dreams of becoming educators.”
Lozner also thanked the donors for their generosity in supporting students’ education and ability to access experiences that help expand their worldview.
“I would not have gotten any of these experiences if it weren’t for you,” she said. “You are impacting future educators in a way that is incomparable to anything else. Your impact will reach far beyond this room into all of our future students and their families. On behalf of all of the scholarship recipients, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”