JAM Paper Scholarship Winner 2016

Northvale, N.J. – Aug. 23, 2016 –  The third annual JAM Paper Teacher Scholarship Award was announced today. The award went to Elmer Coria-Islas, a sophomore pursuing a career in education at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

The JAM Paper Teacher Scholarship rewards $500 to one student a year pursuing a career in Education. Their task? Answer a difficult yet seemingly simple question, “Why do you want to become a teacher?”. Kristin Jane Smith, Digital Marketing Coordinator of JAM Paper, explains that she read over 400 essays. “We had so many people apply this year! It’s exciting to see this scholarship getting more and more attention.” Smith also states, “All of these candidates wrote such powerful messages. One of the main messages I saw throughout our submissions was the idea that teaching isn’t just a job to these students. It’s so much more than that. It’s to actually change something about the world. I mean, what’s more meaningful than that?” As she dwindled down the candidates to thirteen, she needed the opinion of her fellow marketing team members in order to make the final call. All came to an agreement that Elmer Coria-Islas was the perfect fit. Coria-Islas writes in his essay, “I will bring my set of skills as an educator to poverty-stricken towns in search of an intellectual renaissance.” On a trip to the favelas in Brazil, he came to the realization that teaching is his primary aspiration. Favelas are located in the urban parts of Brazil; the most known are located in Rio de Janiero and São Paulo. With crowded areas, poor conditions, and lack of fresh water access, survival is this population’s main focus, not education. Coria-Islas’ goal is to help these towns gain that education they deserve. During his travels, he came across a child who immediately confirmed his desire to educate. The child asked Coria-Islas if he had to be a farmer like his dad. “My heart sunk,” Elmer explains to JAM Paper. His answer to the young child was simple yet strong: “Education liberates.” JAM Paper strives to give back to teachers and future teachers alike. Andrew Jacobs, COO of JAM Paper (www.jampaper.com), says, “It only makes sense to lend a hand to those who not only make an effort to help future generations but also sacrifice their own money for supplies they should easily have access to.” This has become a tradition at JAM Paper and is stated that it will not stop any time soon. "It's not just rewarding for the annual winner, but it's also very rewarding for us here at JAM. It feels good to give back,” Jacobs concludes.

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Congrats to Elmer Coria-Islas for winning this year’s JAM Paper Teacher Scholarship!

Stay tuned for our amazing interview with Elmer! It’s coming soon, so keep watch! Or go to our Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter pages to find the article!

Want to get involved in next year's Teacher Scholarship Award? Click here to find all the information you need!