Senior Kia Shields receives the Gary Lee Scholarship

From left to right: Gary Lee

Brenau University senior and early childhood education major Kia Shields recently received the prestigious Gary Lee Scholarship from the Council of Independent Colleges for the 2018-19 academic year.

The $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to an individual in their final year of college preparing to become a teacher. The scholarship is named in honor of Gary Lee, a longtime member of the UPS executive team and a leader in the nation’s higher education community.

“Being a recipient of the Gary Lee scholarship has truly been a blessing for me,” Shields said. “I am able to continue my education here at Brenau and pursue my goal of becoming a teacher. I have always wanted to become a teacher. I want to educate the next generation of doctors, lawyers, engineers and so on.”

Shields is currently in her residency and will student teach fourth grade in the spring.

From left to right: Gary Lee, Lucy Lee, Kia Shields, a senior early childhood education major, and Brenau President Ed Schrader. Shields received the prestigious Gary Lee Scholarship from the Council of Independent Colleges. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)“I love teaching these slightly older students because they are more independent and can take their critical thinking skills to the next level,” she said. “After graduation, I want to teach either fourth or fifth grade in a public school. I also plan to enroll in the Master of Education in early childhood education program here at Brenau next summer. I plan to eventually get my doctorate in early childhood education and become either a principal or a college professor.”

The scholarship is funded by the Foundation for Higher Education-UPS Fund and administered by the Georgia Independent Colleges Association. Upon Lee’s retirement in 2002, the organization decided to honor his accomplishments by naming one of its scholarships for him.

Lee and his wife, Lucy, were on the Brenau campus to formally present the scholarship on Tuesday, Oct. 30, where they had the opportunity to meet Shields, Brenau President Ed Schrader and Provost Jim Eck.