Newest Partnership: U.C.L.A. Graduate School of Education and Informational Sciences & The Robert and Susan Kozlowski L.I.F.T. Foundation
Fall 2017, the L.I.F.T. Foundation began a partnership with U.C.L.A. Graduate School of Education and Informational Sciences to provide L.I.F.T. Teacher Grants to graduating first year teachers pursuing teaching opportunities in Los Angeles urban schools. The applications must meet all the criteria set forth for any teacher grant. To date, we are proud to have awarded two teacher grants at Horace Mann U.C.L.A. Community, one for math teacher and Robotics club advisor Sunandon Kushon to purchase materials and computers for a Robotics Club and a second to Shriya Venkatesh to invest in hands on science materials so students realize the application of their learning. Mendez High School English teacher Angelica Heredia received a teacher grant to provide a safe, comfortable reading area with over one hundred fiction and non-fiction books and Grace Diaz at Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School and Aileen Gendrano at Roosevelt High School were awarded teacher grants to purchase the novel The Hate U Give and invite students to a movie theater event and question and answer with guest speakers. Diego Rivera Performing Arts Community School 11th and 12th grade science teacher, Vinh Nguyen received a grant to purchase kits with experiments exploring the neuromuscular-motor connections within the body. Over $10,000.00 in L.I.F.T. Teacher Grants have been awarded teachers through our U.C.L.A. graduate school partnership thus far!
In addition, the partnership has been an avenue to enrich students at Horace Mann U.C.L.A. Community School. L.I.F.T. Scholars, Brianna Hampton, Claudia Jorge, Nicol Hernandez and Erick Salazar taught enrichment classes in Cartooning and Drawing and tutoring English learners. Mayeena Ulkarim and Angie Vargas taught courses at Valor Academy to prepare high school juniors and entering seniors for college. How do you write application essays? How do you prepare for the SAT? How do you decide where to apply to college? L.I.F.T. Scholars use their expertise and passion to pass the gift of learning forward!
