Sherly Carroll, left, and Guangyuan Ding received a scholarship honoring the legacy of ESL teacher Kathryn Christopherson. Both were honored on April 27, 2017 at Kenai Peninsula College. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Sherly Carroll, left, and Guangyuan Ding received a scholarship honoring the legacy of ESL teacher Kathryn Christopherson. Both were honored on April 27, 2017 at Kenai Peninsula College. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

ESL students earn memorial scholarship

Two students at Kenai Peninsula College will continue their education while honoring a late English as a Second Language instructor with the Kathryn Christopherson Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship was awarded to Guangyuan Ding and Sherly Carroll, both students who had worked through the college’s ESL program, have become Certified Nursing Asstants and are now pursuing their nursing degrees.

“I work full time while taking college classes and take care of my family back home in the Phillipines, and this is my very first scholarship that I’ve ever received… This is a great help,” Carroll said.

The scholarship is a one time award. The funds were raised by a group of students and faculty led by Sara Hadfield, an ESL instructor.

“Kathy had worked here for a number of years and lost her battle to cancer last spring,” Hadfield said. “After she passed, we had the idea to start a scholarship in her honor. We embarked on a fundraising campaign… We raised funds by holding a bake sale, where we raised over $600. Then we got lots of donations from individuals who knew Kathy.”

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have been enrolled in the ESL program for at least one semester, must be currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program and taking at least six credits in the Fall 2017 semester. Students also had to write an essay describing their educational and vocational goals and how the ESL classes have helped them continue their studies.

“The (ESL) learning center has been a lifeline for me since coming to this country,” Ding said. “It is my safe zone and sounding board… I owe my success almost totally to the learning center.”

To honor the scholarship winners and Christopherson, the ESL program held an end-of-the-year gathering on Thursday at the college’s learning center.

“Kathy was such an important part of KPC and our learning center,” said Gary Turner, the college’s director. “We wish she was here with us today to honor these students.”

Christopherson had taught ESL at the college from 2011 to 2016, after 20 years of working for the Lower Kuskokwim School District where she was instructing Yu’pik-speaking students in English-speaking classrooms.

“She brought that knowledge to KPC. She thoroughly enjoyed working with students who were trying to learn English and continue on their path to high education,” said Allan Christopherson, Kathy’s husband.

Kathy, who died April 15, 2016, was also known for her cultural sensitivity and her ability to train others, Allan said.

“This is a testament to Kathy’s dedication to working with students and instructing teachers. It’s a lifetime achievement and… what (they are) doing at the learning center does make a major difference,” Allan said.

Kat Sorensen can be reached at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislature kills most of Dunleavy’s executive orders in rare joint session

All the proposed orders would have shuffled or eliminated the responsibilities of various state boards

Nikiski Middle/High School student Maggie Grenier testifies in favor of a base student allocation increase before the Alaska Senate Education Committee on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Screenshot)
Students report mixed responses from lawmakers in education discussions

Delegates from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District lobbied the Alaska Legislature for more state funding and other education priorities

A child waves from the back of a truck as the 32nd annual Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade proceeds down Fireweed Street in Soldotna, Alaska on Friday, March 17, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
St. Patrick’s Day parade set for Sunday

The annual Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, kicks off at 2 p.m.

Most Read