Established in 2009 by sisters Dana ’85, M.S. ’87, and Dr. Dianne Ashby, and Dianne’s husband Jack Lockman, the Ashby-Lockman Family Future Special Education Teacher Scholarship assists first-generation students pursuing a degree in special education. This year’s recipient, Isaiah Douglas, said receiving the award allowed him to grow as a student in Illinois State’s Department of Special Education.
Douglas is currently in his final semester at Illinois State as a special education major and is excited to be student teaching at Carl Schurz High School in Chicago this fall. Douglas will soon be the first college graduate among most of his relatives. He takes pride in being a role model for younger members of his family and his students alike.
When asked what drew him to special education, Douglas quickly pointed to a middle-school friend with Down syndrome who inspired Douglas to join his high school’s Best Buddies program. Those experiences prompted Douglas to pursue a career in special education.
Douglas is grateful for the support he has received at Illinois State from faculty, staff, donors, and the education community. “Once we become teachers, there may be a lot of situations we may not be prepared for,” he said. “But it helps to have experience interacting with both students and their parents.”
Douglas knows that being an educator is hard work. He has the utmost respect and admiration for instructors like Ree Hartman ’85, M.S. ’92, who impacted him during his time as a student.
In order to qualify for the Ashby-Lockman Family Future Special Education Teacher Scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate financial need and employment to support their academic career. If the applicant is an incoming freshman, they must also present an ACT score of 23 or higher.
