Claire Kelly

Claire Kelly of Avenel, NJ is a Literature major and a Philosophy minor. She is pursuing certification in Secondary Education. On campus, she is a peer facilitator. Claire has been inducted into Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta Literature Honor Society and Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honor Society. She works with toddlers as a daycare teacher and is student teaching in a high school English class. Claire looks forward to having a class of her own. She says, “Receiving a scholarship means that all of my hard work hasn’t been for nothing,” she said. “It means that I can focus on producing good work rather than stressing out over money.” Claire has a 3.84 grade point average.

Awarded Scholarships

2014

Burchell, Helen Memorial Scholarship

Helen Burchell was a member of the founding faculty at Ramapo College, joining the faculty as an associate professor of Education in 1971. She was director of Clinical Experiences for beginning teachers and served as an administrator in the Teacher Education program until 1987 when she focused on academic outreach, special projects, and grants. Her command of the English language and her editorial skills were a tremendous resource for faculty, especially in terms of grant-seeking.

For 25 years Dr. Burchell was the director of The Record Debate Classic at Ramapo College, a tournament for high school debate teams from across the region. She also served on the Donald G. and Flora A. Borg Merit Scholarship Award committee for more than a decade.

Helen Burchell grew up in New England “amongst a large and busy family” according to her brother William. Dr. Burchell earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1953 and a master and doctoral degree in Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College. She taught at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia from 1962 until 1971.

Dr. Burchell had an avid interest in American antiques. “Never again shall I encounter anyone so prodigiously skilled in acquiring antiquity nor so disarming in negotiations with dealers,” continues her brother William.

Dr. Burchell died suddenly in 2004, just three months after her retirement from Ramapo College. In recognition of her many years of service to Ramapo, the Ramapo College Foundation Board of Governors created this endowed scholarship in her memory.