St. Charles student gets inducted into Golden Apple Program at Elgin College

Jozephine Carlson of St. Charles has been inducted into the Golden Apple Scholars program in Illinois and will receive up to $23,000 in scholarships.

Carlson is among four Elgin Community College students to get the honor. All inductees are pursuing elementary education and will be inducted into the Scholar Class of 2024.

The program offers hands-on, personalized mentoring, extensive classroom teaching experience, job placement assistance and more, according to a news release from ECC.

Additionally, Carlson and the other inductees will be able to join the Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators (PLEDGE) program, an on-campus partnership between ECC and Northern Illinois University that allows students to complete the same teacher-licensure program offered in DeKalb on NIU’s campus at ECC.

Carlson will graduate with honors in May with an associate of arts degree.

“The cost of a college education can be very daunting, but this scholarship has allowed me to pursue my passion while relieving some of that financial burden,” Carlson said in the release.

Carlson said she looks forward to the program because it will support her career aspirations.

“This opportunity allows me to gain valuable experience teaching in lower-income schools and with children of various cultures. It also offers many learning opportunities to expand my knowledge of education,” she said in the release.

Carlson credits ECC for preparing her for a successful career. Along with “amazing instructors” and affordability, she said the ECC and NIU Education program will be beneficial.

“It will allow me shorter commutes while still pursuing my bachelor’s degree. The program also ensures that my courses are compatible and transferable with NIU,” she said.