Tiece Ruffin of the Ohio University College of Education has been named a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar with the U.S. Department of Education.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar internship consists of a summer program in Washington, D.C., Ruffin's hometown. Ruffin, as well as 10 other scholars selected nationwide, will be working with the U.S. Department of Education.
More than 500 applicants submitted their resume, letters of recommendation, and personal essay stating their ideas on how Martin Luther King Jr.'s views on civil liberties have affected their lives. Other scholars will be joining Ruffin from schools such as UCLA and Stanford.
Although the summer position focuses on evaluating educational public policy, Ruffin is glad to be a part of the team of 10 because of her ongoing interest in the field of education.
Ruffin said that most of the scholars are studying the field of public policy and "cannot see how these changes might affect the classroom environment."
"Certain categorical groups aren't achieving as their counterparts because there is not equal opportunity to education," Ruffin said.
She said this opportunity will be life altering for her because she will be a "change agent with the ability to affect change in a more effective way, nationally, as opposed to just state-wide."
Ruffin is not sure of her plans after graduate school, which she plans to finish by 2004, but because of her interest in federal legislation, she said Washington, D.C., would be a "pivotal place for me to be."
Ruffin said she will dedicate herself to finishing her studies in graduate school and advises other students at OU to "stay goal oriented, stick to a strong work ethic and keep your eyes open for opportunities from faculty."
Becky Schatz
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Becky Schatz
