Soon after moving to Denver and securing a teaching position, 帕特丽夏 Long, M.A. ’76, had a student in her classroom with special 需要. Although she was prepared to teach students who didn’t need extra support, she wasn’t sure how to properly provide 对于一个这样做的学生.
“I had not a single clue how to help him,” said 帕特丽夏 Long, “University of Northern Colorado was well known for their Special Education masters, that’s why I went. I needed a master’s to get a job, and I really needed to know more about kids with special 需要.”
Pursuing a career in educating students with disabilities was a catalyst for both 帕特丽夏 Long and her husband, 詹姆斯, philanthropic interests. Seeing the gap in support for students with disabilities opened their eyes to the other areas for improvement in the education system.
Any student who is not adequately supported is going to face an uphill battle to succeed. 通过 their work mentoring children with the Challenge Foundation, which helps students break the cycle of poverty through educational opportunities, 多头的 have witnessed this issue firsthand.
Mentoring a child from middle school through to high school graduation for the past seven 一年s, 多头的 have seen several incredibly smart, capable students go on to earn full rides to college, only to drop out because there was a lack of resources for them when they got to campus.
“I just think it’s really important that all of our kids of color are able to relate to their teachers as a person of color,” said 帕特丽夏 Long.
The lack of representation throughout grade levels and lack of support at some universities is at the crux of 多头的 giving to UNC.
Having started out making gifts here and there to different funds ranging from the Music program to the UNC scholarship fund, this 一年 多头的 decided to take it 更上一层楼. They created a scholarship fund to more directly impact college students who come from underrepresented backgrounds.
This scholarship is designed to help first-generation students seeking teacher licensure who require financial assistance with a preference for students who are working while pursuing their degree. The Longs are excited to see how they can make a meaningful difference in the community.
They see this scholarship as an investment not only in the lives of the students who are awarded funding but also the countless future students’ lives they will impact 作为教育者.
With financial support from their scholarship and the institutional support that UNC provides, 多头的 are hopeful that students will be empowered to succeed in their pursuit of higher education.
Supporting the future of education in Greeley is somewhat of a family value for the 龙氏全家. The Longs’ son and daughter-in-law, Eric ‘01 and Amy ‘01, have worked in Greeley schools 20年来. They both support Bears by hosting UNC student teachers almost every 一年. At every step in a student’s journey, the Long family is here to help their fellow Bears and continue improving the education system.
For 多头的, this scholarship is a natural progression for their giving. 帕特丽夏 Long credits her huband 詹姆斯’s success as a certified public accountant with enabling them to pay it forward to the students pursuing education at UNC.
“We have to 给 back because we’ve been so blessed,” said 帕特丽夏 Long.
