MNPS Lift Off to Lipscomb

The MNPS Lift Off to Lipscomb Scholarship was founded in 2022 with the goal of encouraging bright graduates from Metro Nashville’s zoned public schools to become teachers and return to teach in their home communities.

Each year Lipscomb’s College of Education will offer ten full-tuition scholarships to talented students who intend to become teachers. This scholarship is for students graduating from Antioch, Cane Ridge, Overton, Glencliff, McGavock, Hunter’s Lane, Pearl-Cohn, James Lawson, Hillsboro, Maplewood, Stratford, and White’s Creek High Schools in Nashville.

They may major in any degree leading to licensure, which includes early childhood and elementary education; middle grades; special education; foreign languages and the arts; as well as high school content areas (biology, chemistry, physics, math, and English).

Students from the program together

Program Information

To apply, please go to the Lipscomb Educator Scholars website and follow the streamlined application process there! The College of Education uses one application process for all of its undergraduate scholarships. Students must be admitted to Lipscomb to be considered for a scholarship.

Students may apply in December for an early priority interview, or wait for an interview in the spring. Applicants must complete a form, write short-answer essays, and participate in an in-person interview on one of the designated days.

Students in the scholarship program participate in ongoing leadership development activities throughout their collegiate career. There are regular group meetings and opportunities to connect with other students in the program, as well as the support of the Program Director for any academic or financial challenges a student may face. In order to continue receiving the scholarship each year, students must maintain full-time student status and continue pursuing a major that leads to teacher licensure.

Meet Our Scholars

Ana Headshot

Meet Ana!

Ana immigrated to the U.S. in 2019 from Honduras and has been hard at work making Nashville her home. Ana is inquisitive, friendly, quick to ask questions, and to put down roots at her schools. As a future Spanish teacher, Ana knows what an asset it is to be bilingual and has been quick to mentor other English Language learners who are still mastering English. She has dreams of the many ways she’ll be able to help students and families in her future classroom - from supporting students with mental health challenges to helping families who want to learn English. During her 4 years of high school, her teachers made her feel welcome and safe; in the future, she would like to implement the same strategies so her students feel welcome and safe.

Candelaria

Meet Candelaria!

Candelaria is a strong and independent future Special Education teacher. Candelaria has known since she was young that she was interested in being a teacher after having a very special first grade teacher. She wants to teach her students “that being different is never terrible. Being different makes you… you!” She feels school helped her to be comfortable in her own skin, and to feel comfortable not following trends or having different ideas than her peers. She wants to help her students identify what they need for themselves and make connections to the real world.

Jacob

Meet Jacob!

Jacob is a bright and vivacious future English teacher. Jacob is kind and lights up every room he enters. He is quick to make connections and loves to joke. His future students will find his classroom warm and welcoming. He says, “education, from an optimistic view, is the hope of giving the next generation the tools to be a healthy, happy human being. It’s not perfect, but it is absolutely beautiful.” He can’t wait to be a teacher who can give back to the community that helped him believe in himself and pass on the legacy of love to students who need it just like he did.

Kayla

Meet Kayla!

Kayla is a cool, calm, and collected future early childhood education teacher. Kayla can keep her poise no matter the circumstances, and she is always her authentic self, which invites others to be honest and true to themselves. Kayla cares deeply about being part of a teaching profession that is beautiful in its diversity and ensures that students can find someone who shares their racial or linguistic background or religion at school. It takes a village to raise children, and Kayla is excited to be a part of that village to help students find the support they need at school to view their education and their future with optimism.

Laurencia

Meet Laurencia!

Laurencia is a future early childhood education teacher. She loves small children and has a natural gift for them with her sensitive, quiet, and calm nature. She can’t wait to be a teacher who loves every student regardless of their background, the teacher who puts their best foot forward every day, the teacher whose passion shines through in every moment. She has been through hard times, and she knows how hard it can be to ask for help. She wants her students to find her as a safe haven in their own storms and to learn that asking for help doesn’t make you weak.

Valery

Meet Valery!

Valery is a thoughtful and determined future elementary teacher. She can’t wait to make her classroom more about creativity and deep thinking than memorization. She wants to build a safe space where students can learn that life is full of happiness and opportunities. She is deeply curious about the world and has been asking big questions about how schools work for a while now. She wants schools to be like a beautiful garden where students can bloom, wonder, make mistakes, and grow into strong individuals.