ICTM CollegeScholarships

The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics will be presenting its annual Scholarships in Mathematics Education in October of each year.  ICTM has been awarding Scholarships to college students since 1989.  You can see a list of past winners here. See our current winners at the bottom of this page!

There will be up to three scholarships granted of $1,500 to help defray educational expenses of the recipients. Awardees also get a free 1-year ICTM membership, free registration to the annual ICTM conference, and an ICTM board mentor. You can help ensure that these scholarships are available for future generations by donating to the scholarship fund.

To be eligible for the 2025-2026 scholarship, a student must:

1. Be enrolled as a junior or senior in an accredited university or college in Illinois during Spring 2026 with a graduation date of May 2026 or later.
2. Be working on their first bachelor’s degree with an intent to teach in Illinois upon graduation.
3. Be a mathematics education major, a mathematics major with an education minor, an early childhood major, or an elementary education major.
4. Have a total overall GPA of at least 3.00 from all colleges attended (based on 4.00).
5. Submit digital copies of the following through the ICTM Scholarship Submission Portal:
1. A completed ICTM scholarship application form that includes:
1. Applicant information
2. Two 200-300 word essays
3. A complete lesson planning form
2. Transcripts from ALL COLLEGES ATTENDED.
3. Letters of recommendation from two mathematics or mathematics methods teachers, high school or college. These letters must state the capacity in which the writer knew the applicant and address their potential as a mathematics teacher.
4. Some verification of the applicant's enrollment in a teacher education program (e.g. letter from advisor, copy of registration materials, notation on transcript etc.)

Applications will be scored by a committee of readers using the following evaluation rubric:

• Application information = 5 points (completeness, GPA, clarity)
• Activities = 10 points (how strongly are the work/leadership/extracurricular activities from your college years connected to mathematics and/or teaching?)
• Essay #1 = 10 points (writing quality, anticipated contribution to teaching mathematics, enthusiasm for teaching and mathematics)
• Essay #2 = 10 points (writing quality, degree to which the question is answered, quality of the answer to the prompt)
•  Lesson Planning Form = 15 points (clarity and appropriateness of objectives/goals, level of student engagement opportunities, methods of evaluating student understanding, clarity of flow of lesson which includes introduction and closure)

 Applications are due by May 8, 2026. 

You may download and complete the 2025-2026 fillable PDF version of the application here.  Completed applications need to be submitted by May 8, 2026.  Questions regarding the application process may be directed to [email protected]. Once you've gathered all of the materials listed in item 5 above, submit your documents in our online portal.

The 2026 Scholarship Awardees:

Julissa Carreño -  University of Illinois

Julissa Carreño is a first-year high school math teacher at Maine West High School District 207 in Des Plaines. There, she teaches Math 2 and Math 1, which are integrated curricula for Algebra and Geometry, and Foundations of Problem Solving for Math 1, which is an extra support class for Math 1. Both of her Math 1 classes are sheltered, where she works strictly with multilingual students (7 different languages). She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May of 2026, majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Secondary Education, Spanish, and Statistics. Her passion for empowering youth derives from her identities as a former suburban high school student and Spanish-speaking (bilingual), first-generation Chicana. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a Pre-Calculus teaching assistant for 2 years, amongst other mentoring and teacher organizations, where she witnessed students who doubted their abilities blossom, reinforcing her passion for sparking critical thinking. Last year, she spent her summer as a teaching fellow for Breakthrough Collaborative in Boston. She also worked as a research assistant in multiple STEM and education labs at UIUC, including a summer program at the University of Michigan, and co-authored a publication, “The Work Is Personal: Understanding How Latine High School Educators Navigate and Support Students in Suburban Schools”. Her research centered on uplifting educators’ counterstories, utilizing data and statistical modeling to disrupt systemic inequities, and partnering with families and community organizations to co-design multimodal curricula. She spent this past summer working as an Operations Assistant for National Math Camps in California, where she supported a residential math camp for middle schoolers by managing logistics and operations to help nurture academic and social belonging for staff and students. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, learning magic tricks for students, dancing, and exploring places. Long-term, she hopes to continue empowering diverse students mathematically to take ownership of their learning, engage with issues they’re passionate about,  and continue supporting summer enrichment programs. Julissa is very honored to receive this scholarship and the opportunity to learn from so many talented professionals who make up the ICTM community and continue to make math fun!

Josie Peters - Illinois State University

Josie Peters is a first-year teacher at Olympia Middle School in Stanford, IL. There, she teaches and co-teaches 8th Grade Math. In her classroom, she focuses on helping each student feel a sense of wonder for mathematics through collaborative learning, where student thinking guides instruction. She recently graduated from Illinois State University in May of 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Teacher Education Sequence, where she was an ISU Honors Scholar and a Redbird Ambassador for the Department of Mathematics. During her undergraduate career, Josie completed a year-long ProfessionalDevelopment Schools (PDS) program, an alternative to traditional 16-week student teaching. In the PDS Program, she gained valuable insight on teaching secondary mathematics for a full school year, attending monthly professional development sessions, visiting over five high schools, and teaching a full course load for nearly the entire second semester.

Driven by a commitment to quality mathematics instruction, Josie served as both President and Vice President of ISU’s Mathematics Education Club, leading member trips to NCTM and ICTM conferences, as well as co-hosting virtual professional development opportunities. She also enjoyed providing academic support to students as a tutor in ISU’s Developmental Math Lab and as an assistant in Introduction to Computer Systems Technology, a course offered by ISU. As an active affiliate of NCTM and ICTM, she co-authored a publication in NCTM’s  Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 on opening curriculum spaces. She co-presented “Warming Up to Curricular Thinking Tasks” alongside Dr. Tami Martin and Dr. Roger Day at the 2025 Annual ICTM Conference, sharing practical openers that set the stage for curricular problem-solving. She is excited to co-present at the 2026 Annual ICTM Conference with her colleague and fellow ISU alum, Lauren Unruh. They will be presenting “Adapting Traditional Curriculum to BTC,” sharing their experiences implementing Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms. 

Looking ahead, Josie is excited to see where her passion for teaching and learning will lead her. With her desire to help all learners view themselves as capable and creative thinkers, she is considering pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics and special education. In her free time, Josie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, enjoying the outdoors, being creative, and listening to music. Josie is honored to receive this scholarship and is excited to continue to learn from math educators across the country.