Students get full ride to MSU to become future GRPS teachers

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Fifteen Grand Rapids Public Schools students are getting a free ride to Michigan State University. And after they graduate, they’ll become teachers at GRPS.

GRPS senior Araceli Godoy, who’s part of the brand-new program, has always wanted to go to MSU.

“I did it,” Godoy told News 8. “Mentally, I’m there, I did it. I can finally fulfill my dream.”

Since late August, GRPS seniors have come to Innovation Central High School every Monday and Wednesday for entry-level courses that will give them college credit at MSU. The students, who were accepted through an application process, will have their tuition, room and board and other fees completely covered at MSU. If their academic performance remains in good standing, they will all receive full-time teaching offers at GRPS following graduation.

Students can also first enroll at Grand Rapids Community College and then transfer to MSU if they choose.

“It’s great,” Godoy said. “We all come from different backgrounds, different schools. We all had different experiences in life. Putting all our ideas and experiences together, it helps us as a class and it helps us give back to our community in a way.”

An anonymous donor is making it all possible. GRPS has wanted to do this for years and found a partner in MSU to launch the program this fall.

“It does allow communities such as this to take ownership of identifying their future teacher workforce with a set of individuals who are committed to this community because they’re coming from this community,” Jerlando Jackson, the dean for the MSU College of Education, told News 8.

While the donation only covers the program for this year, GRPS Superintendent Leadriane Roby said she wants to extend and grow the partnership for years to come. With a national teacher shortage, the program will help GRPS bring its own alumni through its doors.

“It’s about having young people from our community go on and have the opportunity to build a career and then come back to our community to pay it forward for other young people,” Roby said.

Roby said the program will also lead to more teachers from different backgrounds.

“It also helps that young people are seeing kids that look like them… I think that’s hugely important,” Roby said.

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