McKay School of Education > News > McKay Grad Student Receives Fritz B. Burns Scholarship
McKay Grad Student Receives Fritz B. Burns Scholarship
Although she considers herself a “California beach bum” at heart, something keeps bringing Julia Helzer back to BYU, and her dedication is paying off in the form of a scholarship from the Fritz B. Burns Foundation (http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/byu/news-features/the-fritz-b-burns-foundation.html). According to an article on the LDS Philanthropies Website, the Fritz B. Burns Foundation is involved in various financial undertakings across the BYU campus,. In 2009 the Foundation donated more than $1.8 million to BYU, with more than half going to student scholarships. For students like Julia, these scholarships can make an educational program possible. “Before receiving the scholarship, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to manage to pay for school next year,” she explained. “This scholarship has perfectly answered my needs, and I feel extremely blessed to receive it.”
Julia received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from BYU in 2006, after which she returned to her native San Diego and worked as a teaching assistant at a private special education school. Two years later Julia decided to continue her education and began exploring different options for graduate school. Having heard about the McKay School’s “excellent school psychology program” at a graduate seminar, Julia began considering returning to Provo. “When I came to interview here, the professors were so congenial and inviting that I knew BYU was where I was meant to be, again,” she explained. Julia is currently pursuing an education specialist’s degree (EdS) in school psychology and plans to graduate in 2011.
Julia plans to use what she learns in the McKay School to create school environments that encourage student learning, self-efficacy, and success. “I hope that my education will help make a difference in the lives of many students as they attempt to gain their own education,” she stated. Julia appreciates opportunities for open religious discussions in her classes at BYU. “I don’t have to shy away from Gospel perspectives when answering a question here,” she said. “I can incorporate all the knowledge that I’ve gained through my experience and not just limit myself to the secular.”
14 September 2009