Biography:
My name is Zachary Dean. I’m from the Dunkirk-Fredonia area in Western New York and am
currently majoring in adolescence education with a concentration in history at SUNY Fredonia.
Prior to transferring to Fredonia I graduated from Jamestown Community College with my
associates degree. During my time at JCC I learned the foundational skills that will be needed to
successfully pursue my bachelors degree and eventually become a high school history teacher.
With the exceptional professors at JCC I was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout my first two
years of college and was also provided the JCC trustee award for this achievement. During my
time at Fredonia I hope to maintain these accomplishments by putting forward the hard work it
takes to excel in a teacher education program.
While most of my time is spent working on college related activities I also spend a considerable
amount of time volunteering within my community. Whether this involves promoting
collaboration between not for profit organizations through the Community Advocates Committee
of Dunkirk or if it is helping my community grow by serving on the Chautauqua County
Planning Board these activities are not only rewarding but they also contribute to my learning
and will ultimately make me a better educator within the future. In addition to my time spent
volunteering I enjoy several hobbies which include fishing, metal detecting, and gold panning.
Overall, being a teacher has always been a goal of mine and I hope by doing so I will be able to
make a positive difference in the lives of my future students. Since my early schooling
experiences were not always ideal I hope to learn from these negatives and turn them into
positives. Whether this means going the extra mile for struggling students or if it is making the
content fun, engaging, and accessible I will ensure that all students regardless of their starting
point will be able to excel within my class.
After the Covid-19 pandemic I had serious concerns about how I would be able to afford a
college education. This worry became even more pronounced when I transferred to SUNY
Fredonia which has double the tuition cost of my prior college. So, with this scholarship it has
assisted in reducing the amount of stress that will be associated with pursuing a bachelor’s degree
and will ultimately allow me to continue pursuing my goal of becoming a high school history
teacher. So, once I heard the news that I was the winner of the 2022 City that Works Scholarship
I was extremely excited and relieved knowing that the financial burden usually associated with a
college education will be reduced with this award. Thank you for choosing me as the 2022
scholarship winner!
Check out our most recent scholarships here!
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