Pionero Scholars Program
Creating a local pipeline of teacher candidates who plan to teach in the Nashville area community.
The Pionero Scholars Program is a scholarship and outreach program at Lipscomb that seeks to increase the number of local students who enroll at Lipscomb, with the long-term goal of creating a local pipeline of students returning to teach in their home communities.
About the Scholarship
Each year, the Pionero Scholars Program awards three to six students an academic merit renewable scholarships of up to $10,000 per student. In order to be considered, students must meet the listed qualifications and complete the application and interview process listed here on our website.
During their undergraduate career, Pionero students participate in fun group activities, receive academic support and are provided with an on-campus upperclassmen mentor as well as a faculty mentor. As upperclassmen, Pionero students receive a mentor that is a current or former classroom teacher to help them navigate Education specific courses and decisions.
To maintain the scholarship, Pionero students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and meet program requirements such as attendance in group meetings, support with recruitment events with the Pionero Program, and complete 5 service hours per semester.
Applicant Qualifications
Students must:
- Be a graduate of a public high school in Nashville, Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson or Williamson counties
- Have an interest in being a future teacher
- Be a US citizen, permanent resident, DACAmented or other status with work authorization
- Be admitted to Lipscomb University
Preference will be given to:
- students with a socio-economic disadvantage, taking into consideration such factors as the net income and net worth of the student's parents or guardian(s); the occupation(s) of the student’s parents or guardian(s); the structure of the student’s family, the academic quality of the secondary school from which the student graduated, and the quality and average income level of the neighborhood in which the student’s family lives;
- students who are among the first generation in their family to attend college; and
- students who are under-represented in the Lipscomb student body population.
The Pionero scholarship invites students graduating from a public high school in Davidson, Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson or Williamson counties to apply!
You can apply for the Pionero scholarship along with other College of Education scholarships through the Lipscomb Educator Scholars process! This streamlined process means you apply once and are then evaluated for all scholarships the College of Education has for which you may be eligible!
Each student is asked to:
- Submit an online application through the Lipscomb Educator Scholars single-application process.
- If requested, submit a supplemental short essay
Apply Now
Please note that students who have NOT submitted a complete application to Lipscomb for general admission when the Selection Committee meets cannot be considered for the scholarship.
Meet your Program Director
Thank you for your interest in Pionero Scholars! This initiative by Lipscomb began in the fall of 2015, with the support of a local foundation. Our long-term goal is to create a “grow -your-own” pipeline and graduate more local teachers returning to teach in Metro Nashville Public Schools. We believe that the best way to recruit future teachers is to create a local pipeline of students who have grown up in Nashville and understand our local context.
That’s because Nashville is a unique place! In the Pionero Scholars Program, we want to increase the number of our students who are local and grew up with this amazing community. As a Cuban-American, I deeply believe in the importance of having adults in schools who understand the variety of student cultures, religions and languages and help every student feel they have the ability to be successful. I had the fortune to engage in activities and camps as a teenager that helped me develop my own sense of Latinidad, but there were few mentors for me in my formalized education. We believe that local students will enter buildings ready for the work and with a deep understanding of the unique strengths of Nashvillians as well as the barriers students face.
At Pionero, we are a mini family and a community. We eat together, study together and grow together. We explore Nashville, go canoeing and challenge ourselves to grow intellectually. We want our students to be successful both in college, as individual human beings and in their careers in the future. There are many extra supports for Pionero students - each Pionero receives a faculty or staff mentor in their first two years, and a current teacher mentor in their second two years. Pioneros also have mentoring opportunities with older Pioneros and upperclassmen. As your Program Director, I am here for any and every question you might have. Please don’t hesitate to ask me - there is no stupid question!
If you are an interested student or community member, please reach out! I look forward to meeting you.
Gracias,
Laura Delgado
Program Director