Foundation Scholarships

Vanden Bloomen, Gretchen Special Education

This scholarship is awarded to juniors or seniors majoring in special education and maintaining full-time status and good academic standing, with preference given to those majors who have worked in the Parks and Recreation program Par-te-Rec, either during the summer or in their evening program throughout the year.

Qualifying students will receive an email in December with scholarship application information. Also, visit the webpage www.uwec.edu/coehs/forms/index.htm and go to Teacher Education Scholarships. Complete the form and submit it to the Education Scholarship Committee. Ask at least one member of the Teacher Education Program who is familiar with your achievements at the University to submit a letter of recommendation to the Scholarship Committee.

Mid-February. Visit the webpage www.uwec.edu/coehs/forms/index.htm and go to Teacher Education Scholarships. Exact deadline will be in Scholarship Applications Directions.

The Education and Human Sciences Scholarship Committee will review applications and select the award recipient by consensus.

On or about April 1.

By the Education Associate Dean by letter. The Associate Dean will complete and submit a “Scholarship Award Form” to the Financial Aid office for each recipient.

Gretchen Vanden Bloomen was born in Monterey, CA in 1982 and grew up in Eau Claire. She attended Putnam Heights grade school, De Long Middle School and Memorial High School. For a few years in the early 1990’s she lived in Knoxville, TN. Most of her Eau Claire educators were Special Education graduates of UW-Eau Claire. Gretchen enjoys the summer Eau Claire Parks and Recreation “Par-te- Rec” programs and Wednesday evening dances in Eau Claire. Many of the staff for these programs were students in the UW-Eau Claire Special Education Programs. She was the inspiration for the Chippewa Valley Fishing Club – a program for disabled adults in Eau Claire and Menomonie. Gretchen enjoys fishing and going to the Mall with her father, Dennis Vanden Bloomen. Her happy disposition and smile warms any room she enters. Gretchen traveled to Mexico several times and to Brazil with her parents. Gretchen has a longstanding connection to UW-Eau Claire as she is the granddaughter of Oreen Migawa (UW-Eau Claire 1936) and daughter of Josette Migawa (UW-Eau Claire 1969). Josette also taught for the Department of Foreign Languages for 20 years. Her namesake, Gretchen Grimm was the chairwoman of the Art Department for many years. Recipient should write a letter of thanks to Dennis Vanden Bloomen and forward to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, S-214.