Gratitude: Special Thanks for Another Great Year!

Our second cohort has wrapped up and we are now preparing to welcome 50 new members to our third cohort!  Very exciting news in the #MSUrbanSTEM world!  We are very proud of our accomplishments thus far and can’t wait to see what another year brings.

With the ending of Cohort 2 and the beginning of Cohort 3, strong feelings of gratitude fill the air.  It has been quite a year and we have so many people to thank.  Our instructional staff is simply amazing. Many thanks go out to Rohit Mehta, Candace Marcotte, Akesha Horton, Kyle Shack and Missy Cosby.  Fitz Crame is a member of our second cohort. In a recent interview, he expressed his sincere appreciation to several members of our team. “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Punya for being the living embodiment in the spirit of innovative education.  His words, actions and ideas inspire me to no ends,” he shared.  He also thanked Candace Marcotte for being a very inspirational instructor and friend. “Thank you Candace for your ear, your mind and your heart,” he said.

ImagineIT projects weren’t always easy.  Our fellows worked hard to develop, deliver and reflect on their projects.  Several of our fellows expressed their sincere gratitude and praise for the support they received along the way.  Bethany Blackwood is also a member of our second cohort.  “I’d like to thank Missy for being so encouraging and being a great role model during my ImagineIT project!” she gratefully shared.

The MSU Urban STEM fellowship program would not have been possible without the continued support from WIPRO.  At the farewell banquet, Punya Mishra praised WIPRO for their support.  He especially thanked Mr. Azim Premji, CEO of WIPRO Ltd. and expressed extreme gratitude for the valuable partnership.

“We have a unique partnership here, between a private company, Wipro –a global IT supergiant. A public school district, Chicago Public Schools, the third largest school district in the US.  And finally Michigan State University, one of the best colleges of teacher education in the world.”

-Punya Mishra

We would also like to express many thanks to our incredible Project Team who have been instrumental in establishing our program.   Much appreciation is also extended to Microsoft for donating 75 Surface Pro Tablets.  And of course, our fellows-a prominent force and prime example of leadership, dedication and excellence.

The video below is a glance at our journey together…