Mary Ellen T. Somers Art Teacher Education Scholarship
The Mary Ellen T. Somers Art Teacher Education Scholarship was established in 2018 by Taylor S. Hassan and Jacob Hassan to honor their mother, who loved teaching art and thrived on the satisfaction of seeing her students tap into the creative spaces within themselves. Mary Ellen received her BS in Teacher Art Education in 1974 and her MFA in 1995 from Illinois State University. A beloved member of the educational community in Central Illinois, Mary Ellen taught art to students from 1974 until her retirement in 2010. As a finalist for Teacher of the Year in 2002, Mary Ellen's commitment to understanding the importance of preparing art teachers to assist with young impressionable creative minds was important, dear and precious to her.