New Scholarship Endowment to Aid Future Teachers

A lifetime educator, Rosemary Ann Silva spent the majority of her career helping teachers within the Central Valley earn and renew their credentials.

After her passing, Silva’s family decided to remember her legacy with a posthumous gift to aid credential students at California State University, Stanislaus.

Silva’s husband Larry and daughters Suzanne and Kimberly made a generous donation to fund the new Rosemary Ann Silva Scholarship Endowment, helping students within the university credential program.

“The generosity of the Silva family will provide scholarships to new generations of teachers who can inspire and instill a love of learning in our schools,” said Oddmund Myhre, Interim Dean of the College of Education at CSU Stanislaus. “Many of our credential candidates are the first in their family to receive a university education. These scholarships will help young men and women who want to become teachers fulfill their dreams.”

Recipients of the annual award will be known as Silva Scholars, receiving $1,000 scholarships for tuition, fees, books and supplies for school.

Candidates for the scholarship must be full-time credential students with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Up to three scholarships will be awarded annually, with preference given to those students with financial needs and those from Merced County, however, neither of these are requirements for the scholarship.

According to CSU Stanislaus, the first scholarship is expected to be awarded later this year.

Working with the Merced County Office of Education for 28 years, Silva was considered a respected authority on the subject of credentialing by her peers. She would also spend time mentoring and advising new teachers as they worked on getting credentialed.

Silva’s husband Larry served on the McSwain Union Elementary School board and became a teacher himself for 12 years. Their two daughters are also educators.

“There are many school administrators who got their start when she credentialed them,” said Larry Silva. “She was self-taught and well respected, and we wanted to keep her name out there as someone who is continuing to help new teachers.”