Tior Wilkins ’24, an Early Childhood Education major at Arcadia University, has been awarded the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women from the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. The prestigious, merit-based scholarship is presented to students who are working full-time at one of the Chamber’s member companies alongside their studies.

Upon receiving her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Wilkins transferred to Arcadia to pursue a teaching certificate and earn a bachelor’s degree. On top of her studies in Arcadia’s School of Education, Wilkins manages to work about 60 hours a week in school, after school, and Saturday programs at educational institutions in Delaware County. Wilkins works as a program coordinator at Episcopal Community Services (ECS) in Philadelphia, as a group supervisor at Park Lane Elementary School in Darby, Pa., and as an instructional assistant at Ardmore Avenue Elementary in Lansdowne, Pa.

“When I started at the After School program about seven years ago, I realized that I enjoy teaching,” said Wilkins. “I like the idea of helping children to believe in themselves and grow confidence and a growth mindset, because those are skills that they can benefit from for the rest of their lives.”

Wilkins works to fund her education at Arcadia, so upon hearing about her eligibility for the Paradigm Scholarship through her work with ESC, she got to writing. In her essay, Wilkins discussed her career aspirations as an educator, emphasizing how much she enjoyed her work with elementary school students. After graduating from Arcadia, Wilkins would like to continue working in the William Penn School District.

“My supervisor and family encouraged me to consider becoming a teacher,” said Wilkins. “I like the idea of serving, providing, and of being a reflective teacher who’s culturally aware of my students and who learns more about them all while pushing them to their full potential. I want my students to develop divergent thinking and a love for knowledge through project based learning.”

Eligible recipients must write an essay response to be considered for the Paradigm Scholarship, which works to assist recipients by providing them with $5,000 toward courses, tuition, or other related expenses.